Immortal Season 3: In the Eye of the Beholder
by TheMainSlayer
Summary: In the beginning, the Lord created a Queen. At least, that is what was written...as Angel desperately tries to search for Buffy and their daughter he also tries to find out what has happened to his son, and why no one remembers him. A new evil rises..
1. Chapter 1

**Immortal: the Virtual Series**  
Episode 3.1: In the Eye of the Beholder  
Written by The Main Slayer  
Airdate: February 25, 2006  
Episode rating: K+

PART ONE

_Creation_

He stood before the river. His eyes closed and his mind in a deep concentration. It was over, his brother had won and now he was alone. Alone to watch over the souls of the dearly departed and watch as they moved around with no end in mind. He had to create her. His brother had left him no choice. He needed a Queen. Beside him stood what could be called a side table. On top was an old, torn book that looked to be thousands of years old, even though the world was only new. He moved towards the book and placed his hands on either side. Slowly he opened his eyes and took hold of the book walking towards the mouth of the giant river. On the opposite side a spirit stood awaiting its master commands. On the ground at the spirits feet, if you could call floating in mid-air feet, was some human remains, blood in a large glass goblet, and a withered vine. At his master's command, the spirit would throw the items into the river and depart. The Lord spoke,

"From the depths will arise a Queen. She will live with the Lord and be his forever. With the offering of bones, blood, and natural life, she will burst through the parted waters and be his to control." The Lord looked to his spirit; the spirit threw the items into the water and left the area. The Lord continued,

"Arise O Queen and look upon your New World and your new husband. Arise O Queen, and help destroy the world around you, and rule the souls of the dead for all eternity!" The Lord looked up and slammed the book shut. The water in front of him bubbled and turned from black to red. Ripples formed at the surface and the waters began to part. Slowly, a figure rose from the water. She was magnificent. Her hair was the darkest shade of black, her face and skin as pale as newly fallen snow, her lips as red as the rose, thin, tall, voluptuous, and when her eyes finally opened they were as black as the night sky. She stood in silence for a few moments, gathering her new sense and her new surroundings. Before now, she was only a shadow and now she had form. She floated away from the water and stepped onto the land where the Lord awaited her. She wore nothing, but in the Lords hand was a red cloak made from the finest silk. She walked up to him and turned. He placed the cloak around her slender shoulders and placed his hands down upon her. She turned, and smiled.

"Welcome my Queen." The Lord said to her.

"Thank you my Lord." The Queen followed her Lord as they left the river. The Lord never realized what he truly created. For if he had read the prophecy correctly, he would have learned before, that she would become more independent as the years rolled by, and soon she would no longer need a husband.

CREDITS ROLE

_Present – 2006_

Buffy walked up to the large set of double doors and slowly pushed them open. She entered the large lobby like she had two years previous, unsure of what was waiting for her. She thought that she would be taken down upon entering or someone would be waiting for her, but all she saw was a busy lobby with lawyers, clients, and monsters. That is what was to be expected from Wolfram & Hart. Angel had walked out on this job almost two years ago, at the time, Buffy thought it was the best idea he had ever come up with but now with having children Buffy wasn't so sure. She waited for someone to approach her, but when no one did she moved to the front desk were a familiar blonde vampire worked. Buffy stopped in front of the desk and rang the small silver bell on the table. The vampire looked up.

"Oh my god!" She cried, "Buffy what are you doing here!" Buffy smiled as Harmony ran out form behind her desk and wrapped her arms around the Slayer. Buffy returned the hug and moved away.

"Oh, not much. I was hoping to speak to your new CEO." Buffy asked. Harmony looked at her and smiled.

"Sure. Let me call it in." Harmony went back behind her desk and picked up the phone. It took three minutes to relay her message and when she was finished she put the phone down and looked back at Buffy.

"He will see you as soon as possible." Harmony said.

"Great," Buffy replied, "When exactly will that be?"

"Ten minutes tops, he is in a meeting." Buffy nodded her head and sat down on one of the large sofas. She held Kera close to her as she watched the lawyers and demons walk around the front office. She waited exactly ten minutes when Harmony walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"The boss will see you now." She said. Buffy stood and walked over to the large oak doors with Harmony by her side. Harmony knocked twice and a male voice sounded.

"Come in." Harmony opened the doors and announced Buffy, "Mr. Summers, Buffy Summers is here to see you."

_Mr. Summers?_ Buffy thought. She walked to the middle of the room, eyes wide, as her father stared back at her.

"Hello Buffy." Buffy's heart beat rapidly in her chest, as she looked upon the new CEO of Wolfram & Hart, her father.

--

Angel had spent a week trying to locate where Buffy and Kera had gone. It didn't take him long to realize where she was headed and why. Angel had asked Faith to go to England to try and speak with Giles, Willow and the Coven to try and find the location of the baby Buffy thought was hers. Angel knew that she was right, but everyone else was not so sure. Angel knew all to well how to erase memories and change people's perceptions of the world, and he knew the only place that was capable of doing it was back in Los Angeles. Angel had arrived only hours before Buffy did and managed to have a conversation with the new CEO before she walked through the large double doors. He knew what they would tell her, but he had already signed the papers. Angel waited as Buffy stood looking at her father thinking back to his arrival only hours before.

_Angel stormed through the double doors and glared at Harmony. She looked scared as she rose for her former boss._

_"Angel, what a pleasant surprise." She said brightly._

_"I need to speak to you boss, now." Angel demanded. Harmony left the safety of her desk to go to the large oak doors to her right and knocked. She was told to enter and closed the door behind her. The lawyers and clients present in the large lobby looked at Angel. Some of them waved some of them wore looks of disgust and hatred. Angel really didn't care. He was only there because he knew that within the next few hours Buffy would be walking through those doors trying to discover what had happened to her son. Angel waited only a moment before Harmony reentered the lobby and walked up to Angel._

_"He'll see you." She said._

_"Good." Angel replied as he walked to the doors and entered the room unannounced. Behind his old desk stood a middle-aged man with gray and black hair, thin glasses, wearing a great black suit with a blue tie and a smile. He motioned for Angel to sit but Angel remained standing. There was something familiar about the man who stood before him, but Angel couldn't place him._

_  
"Angel, what a pleasant surprise." He said, "I have heard so much about you. It is a great pleasure to meet you finally."_

_"Pleasures all yours." Angel replied as he walked to the window and looked out. He had almost forgotten how great it was to stand in this room and look out the window down at the busy streets of LA. There were times that he missed this city, but he would then remember who he worked for and was glad to be rid of it. Angel moved back to the new CEO and stood directly in front of him._

_"Look, I am here for one reason and one reason only, Mr.…" Angel looked at him waiting for him to finish the sentence._

_"Summers." He replied simply._

_"Mr. Summers," Angel then paused. _Summers?_ Angel looked at the man and finally realized where he had seen him before. It was in a picture that had been placed beside Buffy's bed when she was in high school. Hank Summers, he was Buffy's father. Angel sat down as he processed what just happened. _How could Buffy's father be the CEO of Wolfram & Hart?_ He had thought that Buffy's dad was in real estate. Hank sat down at his desk and waited for Angel to speak. Angel held his resolve and stared back at him._

_"Okay, this doesn't change a thing. I need to know what you did." Angel demanded._

_"Whatever do you mean?" Hank asked._

_"You know," Angel said anger dripping off his words, "Where is my son?"_

_"Connor? He is with you."_

_"Not Connor. Tristan. Where is he?" Angel asked again._

_"Ah, the other one."_

_"So you know about him?" Angel asked._

_"Of course we do. Do you think a miracle birth of twins by a vampire is going to go unnoticed by Wolfram & Hart?" Hank asked._

_"No. Where is he?"_

_"I have no idea. We didn't remove him from reality. Someone else did."_

_"But you can get him back?" Angel questioned._

_"What makes you ask that?"_

_"Because you did it once before, just do it again."_

_"That was different," Hank replied, "We were in control, with Tristan, we are not. We had nothing to do with his removal from time. It was done by another party who covered their tracks very well."_

_"Look," Angel said, "Buffy is going to be here in a matter of hours and she is going to demand the same thing from you. She wants her son back. I know you can fix this, so just do it." Hank looked down at the mention of his daughter's name. He hadn't spoken to Buffy since he learned the truth about who she was. He was scared to know who his daughter was and what she would become, until he learned about Wolfram & Hart and all about the world in which she was born into. It had taken him a long time to obtain his law degree and become a part of this company, but he did it. And now he understood what his daughter's life was like, but by then it was too late. The damage had been done and she would no longer speak with him. Dawn was the same. When Hank learned who Dawn really was, through Wolfram & Hart, he almost didn't want anything to do with her, but the memories created were real to him and she was his daughter but because he refused to speak with Buffy he also shut out his youngest child. Would they even speak to him now? He wasn't sure, but he was about to find out. If Angel was right, that meant Buffy would be here demanding the return of her son and her memories. Hank knew that he would never be able to say no to her, but the risk was too high. Wolfram & Hart could do many things, but this required the biggest sacrifice. Hank looked back up at Angel and realized that even Angel was prepared to do whatever it took to get his son back. Angel was more of a father than Hank was, and he was the undead being. Hank smiled and nodded._

_"Fine. I will do whatever it takes to keep Buffy from doing something she will regret. We do have the power to change what was done, but there is a serious price attached to it." Hank said bluntly._

_"What is it?" Angel asked._

_"A sacrifice, of the biggest kind."_

_"What?" Angel demanded again._

_"The sacrifice of one life for another. We do not decide who will go in place of the return of your son, but know that if you do this and we bring back Tristan, you will lose someone close to either you or Buffy. It could mean, one of each other." Angel lowered his head. He hated these. There was always a catch to changing the past, or the future._

_"It could be anyone?" Angel asked._

_"Anyone." Hank replied, "Can you life with that?" Angel thought about it for a moment, he knew that if he didn't do it, she would. Angel nodded._

_"You won't tell her the consequence? Just do it for her?" Angel asked._

_"As you wish." Hank said. Angel looked into the eyes of the man sitting before him. He was signing a deal with the devil for a second time. What was he doing? Angel nodded a second time._

_"Okay. Let's do it." Angel picked up a pen but Hank took a pin and pricked his finger before he reached for the pen in front of him. Angel laughed figures. Hank picked up the phone and beep Harmony. Harmony entered and handed Hank the contract. He placed it in front of Angel and motioned for him to sign it._

_"Now, remember, you can never go back. Once you sign this, it is up to Fate who dies." Hank said. Angel signed the paper._

_"I understand."_

Now Angel stood as Buffy and her father spoke. As he promised he would change what was done and bring back her son. Before she left she made him promise that she would be at her wedding to Angel. Angel smiled and waited for her to leave the office. She was now on her way home, and Angel would be there to meet her. Angel emerged from his hiding place and stood beside Hank.

"Well?" He asked.

"It's done. When Buffy returns home, her son will be waiting for her."

"Good. Now, do you think you could pull another favour for me?" Angel asked.

"I will make sure you are home before her."

"Thanks," Angel replied as he headed for the door, "See you in a couple of months." Angel then left the office and the building of Wolfram & Hart for a second time.

PART TWO

The Queen could feel the change. All her hard work changed thanks to a large law firm run by mortals. She screamed as a ripple drifted through the room. She fell into her chair and lowered her head. Anger raged through her body like a virus. She had worked so hard to get rid of the brat and now he was back. Her eyes turned red as she stared into her large orb. There she could see the Slayer rush into the nursery and pick up the boy. The vampire walked in behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She turned and wrapped her arms around him and cried. The baby crying in her arms. Her memories had been restored and the plan to take over would have to wait a little bit longer. The boy's destiny was still very clouded but he was back and he was clearly the one in the prophecy meant to destroy her and her Beholders. She threw the orb across the room and it shattered. Some of the Beholders that were in the large room cried out at the large sudden sound, but continued on their way. The Queen rose from her seat and stormed out of the throne room. She headed down the hall and burst through her own chamber doors allowing them to crash behind her. Standing in the middle of her room was a man. A man she hadn't seen in years, centuries.

"What do you want?" She demanded as she tore through her room in search of her another seeing orb. She had broken many in her time, but she always had others to replace it.

"Here to see you fall." He replied. The Queen laughed and picked up a new orb and walked over to the Lord of the Underworld.

"I thought I managed to elude you." She said as she placed the seeing orb on a stand in front of a large bay window. The Lord laughed as he took hold of her arms and spun her around.

"You, my Queen, could never elude me. I am the Lord of the Underworld and I see even more than your orb. I always knew where you were, but was unable to pursue you, until recently." He let her go and moved away from the large window. The Queen remained where she was and stared at her creator.

"How is this?"

"The Fates." Damn! She knew she should have told her Beholders to kill them all. But only the one was attainable. The Queen moved towards him and pouted her lips and gave him a seductive look.

"Come now, my Lord, you didn't just come here to see me now did you, so why are you here?" She demanded. Business as usual. The Lord held her chin as he spoke to her.

"I have heard of your failure my Queen. I thought I could be of some assistance."

"Playing both sides, that is very unlike you." She replied as she allowed him to caress her cheek.

"My dear wife, I play all sides." He removed his hand from her chin and snapped his fingers. On the Queen's large bed appeared a roll of parchment. He picked it up and handed it to her. As she opened it her mind whirled with the theories as to why her husband was here. She saw why.

"I have read this many times." She threw it back on her bed.

"I realize that considering you tried to steal it from me, but I do not believe you have read the missing section." The Queen moved towards him as he held out the missing piece of the prophecy.

"How did you get that!" She demanded. The Queen tried to take it, but the Lord of the Underworld moved it out of her reach.

"I have my ways." He said simply.

"Give it to me!"

"Why should I?" He asked her.

"Because I need it!"

"I realize that, but if I give it to you, there would be no reason for me to be here anymore." He said to her as he poured himself a glass of red wine. He had almost forgotten how good wine tasted. He smiled as he watched the rage and hatred pour off his wife like a heat wave. He laughed and stood. He walked over to her and handed her the paper. The Queen unraveled it and read it hastily.

_And they will bring about the end.  
One more powerful than the other. One meant for good, the other for evil.  
The Beholder race will meet its fate when the child is of age.  
When its destiny is revealed and when the young warrior brings peace to earth._

_She is the great one.  
She is the warrior to save the race of man.  
To destroy the race of monstrous Beholders, and the man who will lead them.  
Good versus evil._

_She will destroy her other half and then end will appear._

The Queen dropped the parchment. She moved to her orb and glanced in. The Slayer held her son, the vampire his daughter. _How could she have been so blind! It wasn't the son who was the threat, but the daughter._ The Queen laughed and her eyes changed colours again. From red, to black with her newly found glee. The Lord of the Underworld smiled as he left the room. He knew that he meant to help the Fates, but why couldn't have some fun while he was at it?

--

Buffy held her son close to her as she rocked him to sleep. Angel placed Kera into her crib and smiled at Buffy. He really didn't know what to tell her. But he was sure that it no longer mattered because of the smile that played on her face.

"I'm sorry." Angel said to her and he knelt beside her. Buffy looked up and smiled.

"Don't be. We have him back. Everything is fine."

"I should have believed you." He said.

"I shouldn't have led you on and tied you to a bed." Buffy replied with a smirk. Angel smiled and lowered his head she had done that.

"I enjoyed it." Angel said. Buffy laughed and put her son to bed. She took hold of Angel's hand and smiled.

"I think that means I owe you one." She said as she led him to their room.

"I think it does." Angel replied as he closed the door behind him.

--

Faith had only spent two days in England before the spell wore off and she remembered Tristan. She spent another three days trying to help Willow and Giles figure out what had happened. When they turned up nothing, Faith decided it was time for her to go home. She missed Connor and she needed to see Buffy and the baby. The plane ride home was long and she couldn't wait to make it to her bed. Connor had said he would pick her up at the airport but when he wasn't there, she frowned. It was unlike Connor to forget about things, so when she called his cell phone and got the answering machine, she grew worried. She got a cab and headed back to their apartment. She unlocked the door and walked in. Sitting at the kitchen table, asleep on his laptop, was Connor. Faith sighed and dropped her back. God had he scared her. She moved towards him and kissed him lightly. He opened his eyes and sat upright.

"Faith?"

"Forget something, or someone?" She asked as she sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. Connor looked at his watch and frowned. He stood and moved towards where she sat. He sat down next to her and took her hand.

"I'm so sorry. It has been crazy the last week with papers and stuff at the university. I didn't mean to forget, you know that right?" He asked her.

"I know." Faith said with a smile. Faith moved so that her head rested in his lap as she closed her eyes.

"How was England?" He asked her.

"Fine. Uneventful, and well uneventful. Everything seems to be back to normal, but Giles and Willow are unsure on how it happened. They say that they will call if they find out, but for now, we should be happy things are back to normal." Faith opened her eyes to watch the TV but found she was more tired than she thought.

"Well that is good." Connor replied as he stroked her hair.

"Yeah. Have you been to see Tristan?"

"No, I just woke up remember." Connor said with a slight laugh.

"Right," Faith sat up and kissed him, "I'm really tried. I need a power nap. Join me?"

"I would, but I have to finish this paper by tomorrow. Rain check?"

"You know it." Faith kissed him again and walked to the bedroom. She watched as Connor went back to his computer and began work again. She smiled. She wasn't sure if there was ever a time she wasn't this happy. She had no idea what she would do if she ever lost Connor. He happened to be one of the best things that had ever happened to her, besides Robin. Connor really did love her, and she was pretty sure she was falling for him too. Faith closed the bedroom door and got into the shower. It took her fifteen minutes to rinse herself off and crawl into bed. All she needed was a nap and she would be back to her old self. But her dreams were too much for her, and sleep was the farthest thing from her subconscious.

_"Connor!" Faith yelled as she entered the apartment. Hadn't she just come home? She walked into the room and noticed a lamp on the floor. Glass surrounded it as she saw the picture mirror was shattered. Blood stained the glass and dripped down the sides. Panic filled the Slayer as she moved towards the living room. The kitchen table and its chairs were overturned. The kettle on the stove was screaming as steam billowed out of its spout. Faith walked to the stove and turned the kettle off and moved back towards the living room. The glass coffee table was smashed and blood had pooled at the base of it. Fear gripped the Slayers heart as she went to the phone to dial 9-1-1. The phone was dead. She put the receiver down and saw a soft light emitting from under the bedroom door. She walked towards it her whole body tense and slowly opened the door. He looked so peaceful. He could almost pass for asleep if it weren't for all the blood. Tears sprang to Faith's eyes as she ran to his side. His eyes were open and his face was pale. Blood soaked the sheets where he lay; Faith covered her mouth and tried to stifle a scream. Silent sobs erupted from her as she lowered her head to his body. She then saw the knife jutting out from his side. She took hold of it and looked at it. The knife had a stylized handle with a curved blade. Faith sank to the floor holding the knife, memorizing every detail before her eyes would snap open…_

Faith's eyes snapped open and she sat upright. It was dark and she looked at the clock beside her bed. Midnight. Wow, she had slept that long. Connor lay beside her as silent as ever. She turned him over silently to make sure he was still breathing. He was. Faith decided that she would make sure to tell Buffy and Angel about her dream tomorrow. Quietly she got up and took out a piece of paper and a pencil. Quickly she sketched the knife before she forgot it. After finishing her sketch, she went the bathroom and took out her sleeping pills. She swallowed one and went back to bed. Now she knew how Buffy felt when she had dreams like this. It unnerved her that she had seen Connor dead, but now that she saw it, she could and would prevent it.

PART THREE

_2017_

Together father and daughter stood in front of a large bay window. He was tall wearing all black not looking over the age of twenty-seven. She was thin, short, and her hair hung past her shoulders. She didn't think she looked anything like him, but in small ways, her father was present in her personality. The daughter knew what she had to do but was terrified. She knew know that the evil race, the Beholders knew who she was. Her brother had made sure of that. In order to save her, her father was sending her to a time and place where she could change the future and save not only the world, but also her mother. It had been four months since her brother had murdered her mother. She didn't understand how he could just kill her. She had loved him, no matter who he had become. But he still killed her. Now her father turned to her and smiled.

"You are going to be fine." He said to her.

"I know, but daddy, I'm scared. What if I fail?" She asked him. Her father touched her cheek and smiled.

"You won't fail," He smiled and a tear fell from his eye, "You look just like your mother." His daughter looked down and raised her green eyes to meet his. Tears poured down her father's face. Her own pain masked by her resolve.

"I miss her."

"So do I," He said and turned from her looking out at the dark horizon and a black castle that loomed in the distance, "That is why you have to go. You have to change this, you have to save your mother and your brother." Anger flashed across her face.

"I hate him." She said as her own tears damped her skin.

"No you don't. He is a part of you and you of him. You love him that is why you have to save him. Her father handed her a small amulet that rested on a gold chain.

"This is all you need to get to where you are going. I will attempt to distract your brother long enough so that you can get away." He moved towards the front door and opened them.

"Daddy! Wait!" She yelled. She wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him tightly.

"Please, be here when I get back?"

"If you succeed, we will all be here when you get back." He said, "so much like your mother." He turned from her and headed out of the house sword in hand. She watched her father leave as she moved back towards the center of the house. She stood at the center of a great star and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was standing in the hallway of what appeared to be a public park. She knew what she had to do. Her father was counting on her she wouldn't fail him.

--

_Present – 2006_

The Fates saw her appear. It was only a subtle change, but a change nonetheless. They knew who she was. They were the Fates they knew everything. For over a week now, they had been forced to live human lives trying to find the vampire Slayer and Angelus. They were having no luck until they noticed the ripple. They watched as the young warrior left the crowd and headed to a phone booth. She was there for only a moment when she ripped out a page from the book hanging from the booth and walked away.

"We have to follow her." Rachel, the Fate of Death said.

"Okay." Madison, the Fate of Forgiveness replied. So they followed as their young warrior hailed a cab and climbed in. The Fates did the same and had the driver follow the yellow car speeding towards the university. The young girl left the cab and headed inside.

"This is not where they live!" Madison pointed out.

"I know. But why is she here?" Rachel asked herself. They got out and paid the driver. They headed into the building to their right, the Library. They looked for their young warrior and found she was in the restricted section reading through some books.

"What is she doing?"

"Preparing."

"Preparing for what?"

"To face her greatest enemy." Rachel said. The Fates left the young girl alone. They would have to keep an eye on her. The knew that the Lord of the Underworld would tell the Queen of the Beholders who was really the threat, so in order to make sure that she remained alive, they would have to shadow her until her true self was unveiled.

--

_2017_

The father walked. He approached an open courtyard just in front of the black castle. The great Queen stood before him smiling. Around him, her Beholders appeared. To his left, his son.

"You can not win vampire." She bellowed.

"We will see about that."

"Brave aren't we?" The Queen stated. The Queen clapped her hands and his son moved. He stared at his son as he circled him, "Lets see how brave you are now." The Queen clapped once more and his son moved towards him. The father braced himself as he watched his son's movements.

"Father. I knew you would come." His father said nothing as he waited for his son's first move. His son lunged at him and took hold of his right arm. Twisting free, his father moved away from him and glared.

"You killed her." He stated simply.

"You mean mother? Yes I killed her. She was foolish. Should have left it alone, but she couldn't."

"She loved you." He said to his son.

"Perhaps, but the Queen loves me more." His father ran at him and pointed his sword down. His son took hold of the tip and pushed backwards sending his father into the rocks around them.

"She doesn't love you. She is only using you to get to your sister." His father stated as he stood. His son's eyes grew dark at the mention of his sister.

"Speaking of, where is my darling little sister?"

"Safe."

"Not for long." His son moved towards him and punched him square in the jaw. He sent a high roundhouse kick to his head forcing his father to drop his sword. He staggered backwards and watched as his son broke the sword in half. He threw the pieces to the side, and moved towards his father. He took hold of his father's shoulders and head butted him so that he fell to his knees. His father was weak, old, and full of emotions for his dead mother. He would be easily defeated. The young man, who was his son, turned to face the Queen.

"What is your bidding?" The Queen raised her head and her eyes flashed scarlet.

"Kill him." She said simply. The son turned to his father.

"Any last words?"

"I'm sorry." His father stated.

"Sorry for what!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Tristan." His father said to him as he lowered his head and closed his eyes. _Buffy._ Was his final thought as his son took hold of a long gold sword that was attached to his hip. He swung the sword high and brought the blade down.

"Wait!" The Queen cried. Tristan stopped. She came to his side and put a hand on his shoulder, "In a moment." The Queen took hold of Tristan's father's head and closed her eyes. Her red eyes snapped open and she smiled. With a nod of her head, Tristan killed his father. Angel's body turned to ash the instant the blade sliced through his neck. Dust collected in Tristan's nostrils as he laughed. He turned to his Queen and smiled.

"Why did you have me stop?" He asked her.

"Because if we had killed him right away, I would not know where your sister was."

"Where is she?" Tristan asked.

"Not in this time. You must follow her, and stop her Tristan. Or our plan and world will die forever."

"I will do it my Queen. Anything."

"Good." The Queen moved towards her castle and handed Tristan a gold band. She told him where to find his sister, and with a nod, Tristan vanished. The Queen laughed.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Chapter 2

**Immortal: The Virtual Series**  
Episode 3.2: The Newcomer**  
**Written by: The Main Slayer  
Airdate: June 3, 2006  
Episode rating: K+

**-Part 1-**

For the first time it became clear to Dawn that high school was really coming to an end. This was her final year in high school and she wasn't sure if she really wanted it to end. Everything made sense in high school. Everyone knew his or her place and it was all simple. But in a year, she would no longer be a part of simple she would be a part of the large world that was adulthood. Dawn still had no idea where she was going to go to school after this; she hadn't even applied to any colleges. Dawn walked through the crowded halls to her homeroom and sat down among the rows of students. Kathy had been assigned to the same homeroom and upon entering Dawn noticed that she was sitting with Sean smiling. She waved at Dawn and moving through the numerous desks, Dawn found herself a seat. The class was loud because all the students were talking about their summer vacation and what they had done. With Angel now paying for everything, Dawn and Kathy were able to attend a really good school in New York. The downside, it was one of those preppy schools where all the kids went away on glorious vacations. The student to Dawn's left, Kyle McQueen, went to Ireland for his vacation and Stacey Lockhart, went to England for hers. Dawn at times, wished that they could just go away but with two new babies, there was really no time. The class only fell silent when the teacher walked in with a very tall, very pretty girl behind him. He motioned for her to stand at the front of the class, which made her look uncomfortable, and he waited for his class to pay attention.

"Class," Mr. Clark said, "we have a new student this year. Her name is Kari Dawson. She has transferred from Los Angeles. Make her feel welcomed please." Mr. Clark gave her a wave and she moved through the desks looking for a place to sit. There happened to be an empty seat behind Dawn and she managed to find her way over to it and sat down. Mr. Clark turned his back and began the first class of their final year. No one really paid any attention to his or her teachers so Kathy immediately turned around to talk to the new girl.

"Hi!" She said.

"Hi."

"I'm Kathy and this is my boyfriend Sean." Kathy motioned to Sean and he smiled.

"It's nice to meet you." Kari replied. Kathy hit Dawn in the arm and she turned around.

"This is Dawn, she is my brother's fiancées' sister." Dawn nodded and turned back around.

"Nice to meet all of you."

"So do you like it hear so far?" Kathy asked.

"It's alright. You are the first person I have actually spoken too."

"You should hang out with us," Kathy's statement was cut off with Mr. Clark clearing his throat. Kathy turned around and locked her lips. Mr. Clark turned his back again and Kathy turned back to her new friend, "Lunch?"

"Sure." Kari replied. Kathy turned back around and picked up her pen. Dawn smiled to herself; yep high school really was back in session.

**CREDITS ROLE**

With Tristan back in her life, Buffy found that it was harder and harder to get work done. She had asked Angel several times if she could hire a nanny of some sort but he made her promise she wouldn't. But, what Angel didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Buffy had asked of her neighbor who happened to be a certified nanny to help her out during the week while Angel was at work. Sarah was the best neighbor anyone could ask for and she regularly took the twins to the park for some fresh air. During the hour they were away Buffy managed to get some of her housework done and take a twenty-minute nap. When the front door opened she sat up and smoothed her hair. Sarah walked in with the twins and smiled.

"Say 'Hi Mom.'" She said for the twins. Buffy walked up to them and smiled.

"Hi," She said giving Kera a kiss then Tristan, "How were they?"

"Fantastic as usual," Sarah said putting down their baby bag, "Tristan was a little fussier than usual, but nothing I couldn't handle." Buffy smiled and went into the kitchen to get the twins' lunch.

"I'm glad they were not a handful." By this time, the twins were going to be turning 1 and planning a birthday was one of the first things on Buffy's mind.

"Never," Sarah said, "same time tomorrow?"

"Same time tomorrow what?" Angel asked as he walked into the room. Buffy straightened and smiled.

"Hi hunny." She said. Angel walked up to her and gave her a kiss and then turned his attention to his children.

"We were going to make plans to get together." Sarah said.

"We do it every day." Buffy continued.

"Sounds nice." Angel said as he picked up Tristan. Angel took the bottle from Buffy and went into the living room to sit down. Buffy waved Sarah to leave and mouthed 'see you tomorrow' as she picked up her daughter and went to sit with Angel. Buffy sat down next to Angel and smiled sweetly.

"So how was your day?" She asked. Angel raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"Fine. How was yours?"

"Great."

"I'm sure with that whole hour where the kids were away." Buffy looked at him and her mouth dropped.

"What are you…how did you know?"

"Buffy, I know everything." Angel replied.

"You do not! Who has been watching me?" She demanded. Angel looked at her with shock.

"No one. One of the guys at work was working the park and noticed the kids. He told me, and I asked if you were there, and he said no. So, here we are." Buffy pouted and gave Angel a sad look.

"I'm tired! I need help and you won't let me get help. Sarah takes them to the park for an hour. No more, no less. She loves them. Are you mad?" She asked.

"No. The rookie said that Sarah seemed to know what she was doing."

"She does! She is certified you know…" Buffy said hoping that Angel would let her have her around for more than one hour a day.

"I know." Buffy arched a brow and gave him a look of questioning.

"I checked her out."

"Angel!"

"Hey, these are my kids."

"Do you actually think that I would give them to someone I didn't trust?" Buffy asked.

"No."

"Then?"

"Then nothing. If you need help Buffy its fine. Just with the way our life is and what happened to Tristan, I wasn't sure. But you trust her, so I do."

"Does this mean she can be here for more than one hour?" Buffy asked.

"What does she charge?" Angel finished feeding Tristan and gave him a pat on the back.

"Thirty dollars an hour." Angel laughed but agreed to Sarah's help. Once the twins were down for a nap Buffy went for one as well. Angel stood in his living room and watched as the traffic became heavier and heavier. Angel moved his attention to the looming gray clouds and noted that a storm was heading their way. _A storm._ Angel laughed to himself at this comment thinking back to his conversation with Buffy's dad.

_"Fine. I will do whatever it takes to keep Buffy from doing something she will regret. We do have the power to change what was done, but there is a serious price attached to it." Hank said bluntly._

_"What is it?" Angel asked._

_"A sacrifice, of the biggest kind."_

_"What?" Angel demanded again._

_"The sacrifice of one life for another. We do not decide who will go in place of the return of your son, but know that if you do this and we bring back Tristan, you will lose someone close to either you or Buffy. It could mean, one of each other." Angel lowered his head. He hated these. There was always a catch to changing the past, or the future._

Angel wasn't sure what he really had done but he knew that whatever was going to happen would happen soon. There was always a price when it came to magic, and death was usually the result. Angel lowered his head again and turned back to the living room where Buffy and their children were sitting. Kera was laughing and smiling while she played with her toys, Tristan simply stared out at his father with his dark eyes. A shiver ran through Angel, but he put it aside. _We changed his future. He is safe now._ Angel moved towards Buffy and sat down with her. Smiling he picked up his son and tickled him, Tristan didn't laugh.

**-Part 2-**

In the dead of the night, a white light pierced the skyline. The light widened as the time portal opened up wider. A stray dog stopped to watch the light appearing mesmerized by the impending darkness that would emerge. A shape soon stepped from the portal and it snapped shut. The figure raised his head and looked around him. He noticed the dog standing in front of him and raised his hand. Chanting a few words, the dog's eyes shone. Silently it sat and looked to its new master.

"What will you wish of me?" The dog asked.

"I need you to find someone and I need you to do it fast." The man replied.

"As you wish." The man held out a strip of cloth. The dog smelled it and ran off. The man smiled and looked towards the city looming ahead of him. _Now, to find my dear family._ Tristan moved away from the park and using powers given to him by his Queen he reached out his mind and felt for where his young sister was hiding.

--

Pain struck Kera in the head as she walked to her apartment. She doubled over and allowed a tear to fall. _No._ She thought as she stood and ran the rest of the way home. She unlocked her door and ran to her bedroom. There was a large mirror hanging above her dresser. The mirror was very large, with a gold frame and several engravings along the outside. She put her bag down and stared into the mirror. She chanted the words along the edge and waited. Nothing happened. She breathed in and tried again, still nothing.

"NO!" She yelled, "Work damn you!" She thought of another incantation that her Aunt had taught her if she every wanted to speak to her mother. She had never told her dad that she knew this spell, he would have been really unhappy. Her Aunt had given this mirror to her for her birthday so that she could to talk to whomever she wanted that had already passed. She had met her grandmother this way once. She remembered her mother and her standing before the mirror and talking to her grandmother about all the things that had happened in her life. She remembered talking to her the night she found out her mother had been killed. Kera closed her eyes and chanted softly. She opened her eyes and slowly an image appeared. It was her mother. She looked more tired than Kera had ever seen her before. She looked like she had been crying.

"Mother?"

"Hi sweetheart." She replied. Her mother smiled and tilted her head.

"Mother, there is a problem. I can't get in touch with dad. I felt something, something bad, I can't find him." A tear fell down her mother's face.

"Hunny, you dad…Tristan he…sweetie, your brother killed him." Shocked played across Kera's face.

"No. I just, I just talked to him…he said he would still be there, he promised!"

"He went to see your brother. Your brother killed him." Kera's pain turned to anger.

"I want to talk to him, like I do with you."

"Kera, you can't."

"Why not!"

"Because your father was a vampire. There is no body left, there is nothing left to talk to. When a vampire dies, you know this; there is only ash. Nothing left. You can't talk to your father, I'm sorry."

"NO! This can't be! He promised me!" Kera's pain returned as tears flowed down her face.

"I know. But if you succeed, when you come home, your father and I will be waiting for you. You need to save your brother and stop the Queen. You can do this."

"No, no I can't. I need help."

"There is help. You have us."

"I don't understand mother." Kera sat down on her bed and looked into the green eyes of her dead mother.

"You have your parents, you have your parents from the past."

"I can't, I don't want to see them. Even if I did, how would I get their help without telling them the whole truth."

"You can do this, and you'll think of something. You are my daughter and the Summers women don't give up. So think of something and find a way to gain their help and trust."

"Mother, I can't do this!"

"Yes you can! Now I don't have any more time. You can't do this and know that even though we are both gone, we love you and you can fix everything." Buffy disappeared and Kera lowered her head. She laid back on her bed and closed her eyes. _I love you daddy._ She said as she allowed her tears to fall. That night, Kera cried herself to sleep thinking of her family that was now completely torn apart by the one person who is supposed to love her, her brother. When she awoke the next morning with a new sense of anger flowing through her veins. This whole situation was her brother's fault. If he had never turned evil in the first place none of this would have happened. She got ready for school as she thought of a way to save her brother. As soon as this was over, she was going home to be with her family. To catch up on all the things she missed with her mother, and now her father. _You will pay for this Tristan if I can't save you; at least I can kill you._ Kera locked her apartment and headed to school with a new outlook on her new mission.

--

Dawn walked to her locker that morning feeling like something major was going to happen. The school year had only just begun, but that only meant the evil was just starting. The new girl had become part of the group easier than she had thought and soon discovered that everyone loved her. Kari was a great girl but there was just something about her that got to Dawn. She couldn't figure it out, but she was sure she would. People might say she was jealous, but Dawn knew there was something wrong. Speaking of her new friend, Kari headed towards her with a smile on her face. Dawn smiled back and waved.

"Hey!"

"Hey! So, test on Monday, do you want to study?" She asked.

"Sure." Dawn replied.

"Can we do it at your house, my place is kind of messy and also, my parents are not big on people over…is that cool?" She asked her.

"No problem. I'm sure my sister and her fiancée won't mind."

"Great! So meet me after class and we can head to your house?"

"Sure!" Dawn said with the biggest smile she could muster. Kari waved and moved towards her next class. Dawn turned towards her locker and let her smile fade. This was her opportunity to figure out what was going on with this girl. She closed her locker and noticed that Kathy was standing right next to her.

"Okay, what are you planning?" She asked.

"Planning? Nothing." Dawn said as she moved towards their class.

"Liar. What do you have against her?" Kathy demanded as Sean joined them.

"Nothing. There is just something about her that bothers me. Look I have been the sister of a Slayer for like, ever and I know when things are off and she feels off. I need to know why."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe she is a nice person who just moved here and wants to be your friend?"

"No. Why would I think that simplistic?" Dawn entered her class and noticed that Kari was talking with the hottest guy in school, Mark. Dawn moved towards where their desks were and sat down next to them. Kari smiled and they continued their conversation. Dawn knew who could help her; she would simply phone Willow and figure out a way to get into Kari's head to find out her true intentions. Easy as that. Dawn smiled and joined in as the teacher walked in and their day began.

--

Tristan waited as his new slave approached him. The dog sat before him and lowered his head in a bow.

"My lord."

"Well, did you find them, and her?"'

"I did my lord. I found them all."

"Where are they?" Tristan asked.

"Your mother and father live with the babies in a penthouse on 5th. Your sister, she is living in the lower end of the city in her own apartment."

"Thank you." Tristan said to the dog.

"My lord. Anything else you wish of me?"

"No." Tristan snapped his fingers and the dog fell over. Tristan left the dog in the park and moved away from the park. _Now to find the Queen._ This was only the beginning.

**-Part 3-**

Tristan moved towards the door of a large apartment building and looked up to the sky. Narrowing his eyes he concentrated on the very top floor where his cute little family lived. Opening his mind he reached for them actually reached for himself. Placing his mind and eyes into his baby counterpart. For a moment, he could feel his mother's heartbeat as she rocked him to sleep. Quickly, Tristan detached himself and winced. Opening his eyes he saw that there was a doorman and that it would be a slight challenge to get past him. There had to be a way…then he noticed the pizza delivery truck parked outside the doors. Tristan moved to him and put his hands in his pockets. He looked towards the young man.

"Nice night. Who are the pies for?" He asked. The young kid looked at Tristan and gave him an awkward smile.

"Penthouse." Tristan smiled and took out three hundred dollars.

"I'll give you this if you let me take those upstairs for you." The kid looked at the money. He did need it, but he wasn't sure why this guy wanted to take the pizzas so bad.

"You know them or something?" He asked eyes still on the money.

"Or something."

"You're not going to hurt them are you?"

"No, I just wanted to go up and say hello but they may not want to see me. Long lost family and all." Tristan waved the money and the kid agreed.

"Alright. Here." Tristan handed over the money and took out another fifty handing it to him.

"For the hat and coat." He said. The kid stripped his coat and hat and handed them over taking his new found money home with him. Tristan slipped into the coat and hat and moved towards the door. The doorman looked at him once and nodded his head.

"Who are they for?"

"Penthouse." The doorman called up and was authorized to let the kid in. Tristan thanked him and headed for the elevator. He stepped in and hit the penthouse button. Stepping out onto the floor brought back some memories that he didn't want to have. He moved towards the door and knocked twice. The door opened and Tristan was face to face with his father again.

"Hey. Can you just come in for a sec while I get the money?" Tristan didn't speak but stepped into the room. The penthouse was exactly how he had remembered it. Even the curtains where the same. Dawn was on the couch watching TV with his Aunt Kathy and Faith and Connor were in the kitchen. The door to the nursery was open and he could here his mother taking to the twins. Tristan stood at the threshold with a thousands thoughts swimming through his head. He could just kill them all. Right now, it wouldn't take long. Sure his father, mother, brother and his girlfriend would put up a fight but he could take them, especially if he used magic. He imaged snapping his mother's neck for a second time relishing in the idea of hearing it break. Of picking up the table to his left, shattering it and staking is father through the back. But he checked his thoughts and waited for the money while he looked around. His mother emerged from the nursery shutting the door and handed his father her wallet.

"Here." She looked at Tristan once and stopped. Her eyes locked with his and for a second he thought she might recognize him. Turning his head Tristan commented on the wallpaper choice.

"Thanks," She said, "Angel hates it." Tristan laughed and Angel gave her a look of no-I-don't. Buffy moved towards Faith and took the cooler that was offered to her. Angel turned back to Tristan and smiled.

"How much?" He asked. Tristan wasn't sure. He looked at the receipt and answered his father.

"Fifty twenty nine." He said.

"Pizza gets more and more expensive." Angel said taking out the money plus tip.

"You are feeding a fair amount of people you know." Buffy retorted. Angel smiled and handed the money over to Tristan. Tristan took the money and smiled.

"Thanks, enjoy."

"We will." Angel said as he opened the door. Tristan stepped out into the hallway and let the door be shut in his face. Tristan looked at the hundred dollars that his father had given him and put it in his pocket. Not really worth his trouble but at least he got to see them all. They hadn't changed. His mother looked the same and his father. His brother was younger, but that didn't matter his fate was already sealed. Tristan left the building and disposed on the coat and hat. He looked at the building on last time and moved away from it towards where is dear sister was hiding out. He knew she was waiting for him. They could always sense when each other was around. They always just knew. Smiling Tristan hopped on the bus and headed for the lower end of New York city.

--

Kera knew he was coming she could feel him. Ever since they were five years old they knew when each other was going to do something they shouldn't. Mostly Tristan. Kera closed her eyes and prepared for her brother. But she couldn't help but think back to the day before their fifth birthday party. Daddy had promised that they would go to the zoo if they were good. So far, Kera had been really good but that didn't matter, they both had to be good…

_Kera knew something was wrong. She left her dolls on the floor and ran out of her room. She knew something bad was going to happen. She had felt sick to her tummy all morning and that was never good. Whenever that happened her mommy had always told her to think of happy thoughts or try and go to the bathroom. Kera had done both but the feeling was still there. She then got the feeling that her brother was up to no good. He always caused problems. She wanted so bad to go to the zoo and if Tristan messed it up, like he always did she would never forgive him. She saw that the TV was on but Tristan wasn't in the living room. Mommy had only stepped out of the house for a minute to go to the corner store to buy milk. She had told Kera she was in charge, this was the very first time mommy had trusted her like that. Kera saw that the balcony door was open. She moved silently towards the deck and saw her brother holding their cat Missy. The cat was a gift to the twins when they turned four. Tristan had never liked it, but Kera loved it. Tristan was standing on a chair holding up the cat above the balcony rail._

_"Tristan, what are you doing?" She asked._

_"I hate this cat," He said as blood ran down his arm, "She scratched me. Dad said that cats always land on their feet I just want to see if that is true." Shock registered on Kera's face as her brother prepared to drop the cat._

_"No, please don't hurt her. I like her a lot. Mommy put me in charge, come back in the house with the cat. Please Tristan. Please." Kera begged her brother. Tristan turned to his sister and smiled._

_"I hate her."_

_"I love her."_

_"I don't care what you love, I want to see if the cat will land on its feet."_

_"Its too far. She will die." Kera didn't hid her fear and her tears as they fell down her face. Tristan ignored her and was about to drop the cat when the front door opened. Buffy came to the balcony and looked at her children._

_"What is going on!" She demanded._

_"Tristan was going to drop Missy down there!" Kera wailed as she grabbed hold of her mother's leg. Buffy looked at her son and put out her hand._

_"Tristan, bring me the cat now." She said._

_"No."_

_"Tristan, do not make me ask you again. Bring me the cat now. If you don't, you will be grounded and there will be no zoo trip for either of you. Do you want to do that to your sister?"_

_"Yes." With that Tristan dropped Missy the 29 flights to the street below. A car skidded and horns blared as the small cat hit the street underneath them. Kera began to cry and Buffy ran to her son and took hold of him. Tristan began to squirm and kick as Buffy dragged him into the house. Angel walked in the door at this time to hear his daughter screaming and Buffy holding their son._

_"What is happening!" Kera wouldn't stop crying as Buffy struggled._

_"Tristan dropped the cat." Buffy said as Angel moved to her. Angel took hold of his son and hit him across the rear. Tristan looked at his father with hatred._

_"ROOM. NOW!" Tristan left the room and slammed the door. Buffy left the apartment to get the dead cat from the street and Angel moved to his daughter. He picked her up and cradled her until she had stopped crying…_

After that they didn't go to the zoo. Their birthday was spent in the penthouse and all of Tristan's things had been taken from him. They never got another cat. They never go another animal of any kind for fear that Tristan would kill it. Kera let a tear fall down her face. That was only the first time that Tristan had done something horrible to mess up her life and make her father angry. Kera picked up her dagger and left her bedroom. He was close. At that thought, the door to her apartment opened and her brother entered the room. Hatred raged in the room as brother and sister stared at each other.

"Hey sis. How's it going?"

"How did you find me?" Kera asked him.

"Father told me."

"I don't believe you." Kera stated.

"Well, he didn't give it up willingly. My Queen had to get it from him, before I killed him."

"Why?" Kera asked him tears welling in her eyes.

"Why what?"

"Why did you have to kill him?" She asked quietly.

"Because I hated him. He never loved me, neither did our cow of a mother."

"Yes they did." Kera said as fresh tears drifted down her face.

"Whatever, you know why I'm here?" Tristan asked her as he moved into the room.

"To kill me too?" Tristan laughed and shut the door behind him.

"No. Not yet anyway. No I am here to tell you that you can't change things and you know it. You can't change fate." Kera stared back into the eyes of a brother she hardly even knew. How could this be the brother who saved her from falling down a well when she was two? How could this be the brother who beat up the first eye to ever use her? How could this be the man that she thought would be there for her no matter what? Kera held her dagger and closed her eyes.

"I may not be able to change you, but I can't change the future. If I can't help you, at least I can kill you."

"Do you really think you can kill me little sister?"

"I can, and I will." She stated opening her eyes expecting him to rush her. Tristan sat down and looked at his sister.

"That is kind of evil of you, isn't it?"

"We do what we have to in order to survive."

"Well said. So you must understand where I am coming from. This is my destiny, and I do what I have to in order to survive in this world. The Beholders control all you should join us. We could be powerful."

"Never."

"Too bad. Well, I guess we will be meeting again then."

"That's it? We are not fighting?" Tristan smiled and moved towards his sister. He took hold of her and pulled her close.

"Now, why would I do then when I can expose you to the people who love you the most? They will kill you for me, then you will know how it feels to be hated by your family." Tristan let go and moved towards the door.

"You will never get away with this!"

"Sure I will. And you don't' have the guts to kill me little sister, its just not in your nature." Tristan stood at the door and surveyed his sister. He smiled and shut the door behind him. Phase one of his plan was complete. Now all he had to do was watch it all unfold. Kera allowed herself to breathe. She sank to the floor and continued to cry. He really could to it. Ruin her plans. He was right, she could never kill anyone. It wasn't in her nature. She needed help but couldn't risk exposing her identity. She would have to talk to her Aunt, but make sure that there was another reason behind who she was. Tristan would try and expose the truth, but Kera had to create a fake truth before the real truth could be exposed. It was time to reveal her secrets.


	3. Chapter 3

**Immortal: the Virtual Series**  
Episode 3.3: Alla Luce Del Sole  
(English Translation: At the Light of the Sun)  
Written by Anne  
Airdate: June 11, 2006  
Episode rating: K+

-"Because things are impossible, they exist, and because others are possible, they don't exist" - Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts-

The sun was so bright…fingers were touching the light. It was filled with peace and happiness…if the light could just be captured, everything would be alright, everything would return to normal. The light gently wrapped around the hand trying to capture it, sending warmth through the body.

_'I am here if you need me.'_

Whose was that voice? Where did it come from? It seemed so familiar and yet…changed. The light glowed now an abnormal gray color…what was happened? The hand pulled away in fear.

_'They are coming. Call upon me for help.'_

Who? Call out for whom? The now dark gray sunlight was moving in wisps towards it target with ferocity and rage. And suddenly it stopped in fear. And from out of nowhere, a loud tiger's growl, booming through the sky like thunder, scared the abnormal gray light…and it reverted back to its normal shade.

--

"My queen," a servant bowed and kneeled at his lady's feet, "We have found him."

The Queen of the Beholders looked at her servant apprehensively, wondering if she should trust him or kill him.

"He is living under a mortal name, a human name," the servant stuttered.

"I must go about this quietly," the Queen said, "Vulcan will not be pleased after all this time."

"My Queen, he does not remember," the servant squeaked. She turned and glared at him, "the spell our Lord created, made him human and mad him so not to remember anything."

"Damn him," the Queen cursed her husband.

"But I already am damned," the Lord of the Underworld entered the room, "You leave that boy be."

"He is a god!" The Queen shouted, "And my brother! You took him away like you took so much else away!"

"I took so much away because you were out of control," the Lord growled and snatched the Queen's wrist tightly, "You're still out of control. Remember I can destroy you as fast as I created you."

"Then do it," the Queen smiled, knowing he was lying, "Kill me now and be done with it." The Lord glowered at her for a moment before tossing her on the floor and leaving the room. "Find him and break that spell," the Queen seethed from the floor, "or bring him here."

"Yes, my lady," the servant bowed out.

--

Sean Montgomery felt…odd. The hairs on the back of his neck had prickled upwards and his gut told him something very, very big was going to happen, and soon. He wondered…

He had, the other day, finally built up the courage to start wearing a necklace that was given to him by his adoptive parents, a rather large fire opal. With the necklace came a note. You'll find your way to us. He didn't know his real parents, but his adoptive parents loved him like their own son before they died.

He didn't notice, but a small flame had begun to burn inside of the stone.

--

It was early in the morning, and Angel was already up making breakfast. Buffy who was sleeping, had been awakened by the smell of eggs and pancakes. Buffy walked into the kitchen as quietly as she could. Angel was hunched over the stove, wordlessly making the food. His whole demeanor had changed since she had come home with Tristan.

"Angel?" She called to him, but he ignored her. "Angel?" She tried again. "Angel!" She put her hand on his shoulder. His quick reflexes caught her wrist and held her there.

"Oh, Buffy," Angel let go of her, "I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you answer me the first time I called you?" She began to gently rub his back with one hand.

"I was thinking about things," Angel replied, "Must have been thinking a little too hard." He chuckled lightly.

Buffy smiled, but knew there was something else troubling him. But, she decided to leave it alone for the time being. "So, anything special in those pancakes?"

"Oh, no, I just tossed in a few fresh strawberries," Angel beamed. Buffy grinned and wrapped her arms around him, "You've been much better since we got Tristan back."

"I am, but I am worried about you. You seem happier, but…" Buffy trailed.

"Good morning!" Kathy blithely entered the kitchen, "And how are you two on this lovely morning?"

"Fine, you seem happy yourself," Buffy answered, detaching herself from Angel and sitting down at the table.

"I am, you know? Everything seems right in the world for once. The twins are safe and sound, you two are as happy as can be and Sean…oh Sean," Kathy sighed dreamily.

"Here we go, again," Angel playfully rolled his eyes as placed the pancakes on a large plate.

"I mean, I know I sound crazy right now, but Sean just makes me so…happy…it's like you two," when Buffy and Angel gave her a look, she corrected herself, "Well, I mean, without the whole vampire slayer-in-love-with-a-vampire part. But we've had our ups-and-downs too, you know. Sean…I wonder what he's doing right now…"

--

_Hear me, brother…I am here for you _

The voice kept popping in and out of his head all day and night. But Sean had no sister, and yet this female voice kept calling him brother. And there was another voice, a deeper, foreign voice, in a different tongue that urged him not to listen.

_You belong with me, in my world, our world. This mortal world is no place for someone like you. _

Someone like him? And wasn't he a mortal? He wasn't extraordinary in any special way. Sure, he could fight demons pretty well, but that had taken years of practice, hadn't it? The foreign voice told him to go to Angel, to ask Angel for help.

_Just look into the necklace, and you will find your way back to me. _

His instincts didn't trust the female voice, but there was something that rang honest and sincere…but his family was with Kathy. He knew no other. He had lived alone for so many years…why was this voice appearing now?

_I've been searching for you since you were taken from me. _

What was this voice talking about? Taken? He never remembered being taken from anywhere…only from the foster home where his adoptive parents had found him. Sean decided to ignore the voice and sleep…he'd been so tired. He didn't know why either…

--

Dawn and Kathy went out later that day and met up with Gabby at the mall. Dawn gave her a small peck on the lips and clasped her hand. Kathy sighed and rolled her eyes. "You'd do the same if Sean were here," Dawn smiled and retorted. Kathy smiled as she thought of Sean.

"I haven't seen him in a while," Gabby said, "How's he been?"

"Wonderful," Kathy danced happily around, "He took me to an art show last night, and then we went for a walk through Central Park…"

"She can't stop talking about him," Dawn murmured in Gabby's ear.

"…and then he bought another ice cream! Can you believe that? He…"

"They love each other very much," Gabby whispered back.

--

_'Call upon me for help'_

Where had Buffy heard that voice before? She just couldn't place it, and it was so familiar that she wouldn't stop thinking about it until she knew who it was.

"Hello?"

_'You need not speak aloud.'_

'Who are you? And why are you here?'

_'You don't remember from oh, so long ago? My mark still resides upon you.' _

'Yes, yes, I do remember…why have you returned? Why now?'

_'Because of your children, Tristan and Kera. They are both here.' _

'Well of course they're both here. They're right in there…'

_'No, they're here, in a way that indescribable.' _

'What?'

_'A new friend of Dawn and Kathy's…you will see.' _

'I'm still way…'

"Buffy?"

Buffy dropped the dish she'd been washing continually as she spoke to the mysterious voice. "Faith, oh my goodness, I didn't see you there."

"Lost in your own dream world, B?" Faith chuckled.

"I guess," Buffy sighed. What did the voice knows about her children? A new friend? What was the tiger talking about?

"B, I had a strange vision a few weeks ago," Faith sat down, ringing her hands together nervously.

Buffy instantaneously whirled on her, "What about?"

"Connor," Faith said, "He was killed in it."

"What?" Buffy's jaw dropped.

"B, I've never said this before in my life…but I'm scared, I'll prevent this from happening but…watching him die?"

"I know how it feels, Faith," Buffy put a hand on her sister slayer, "I had dreams like that about Angel, a long time ago." Faith looked up, with hope, 'Angel's still here!' she thought.

"What actually happened was that he didn't physically die…he lost his soul and became…"

"Angelus." Buffy solemnly nodded her head.

--

"Oh, Sean," Kathy giggled with several bags in her hands, "We've come to visit you!" Dawn and Gabby were behind her, holding several more bags from their shopping outing.

_'Help him!'_

"What was that?" Kathy dropped her bags and looked around to see if anyone else was in the house.

"What was what?"

_'Go! Go now!'_

"That! That voice!"

"Kathy, there's no voice," Dawn looked at Kathy oddly.

"Sean?" Kathy ran up the stairs to find Sean kneeling on the floor in his room. "Sean? Are you alright?"

"Kathy," he still hadn't turned around to face her, "I've been hearing voices, so many voices," and when he finally did turn around, Kathy gasped, "Help me."

"Sean, you're eyes!" Kathy carefully moved towards him, "Their red, and such a fiery red."

_'Run! Run now!' _

Kathy grabbed Sean and they both ran down the stairs. "Let's go!" Kathy cried to Dawn and Gabby, but when the reached the door, two strange people were standing, blocking the door.

"Hello, my brother," a female voice said, "It is so good to finally see you again."

-Part 2-

Kera watched from her mirror the turmoil that was going on among her family. But she couldn't stop it, she couldn't interfere. Not yet anyways. "Don't you love the smell of fear," Tristan said from the doorway of the room, "Look at them. Helpless. Weak. Stupid. They don't deserve to be called our family. We're better than them." Kera let her anger run through her veins, and she punched him. She punched him so hard that he flew into the back wall.

"Don't you DARE say that," Kera seethed, "They're not the ones who're weak. You are!" Tristan was surprised at his sister's strength and her words.

"Weak, you say?" Tristan got up and grabbed Kera by her neck. She, in response, kicked him where she knew it would hurt.

"Weak doesn't always refer to physical strength, Tristan," Kera warned.

"Then tell me what it does mean in my case, dear philosophizing sister," Tristan smirked.

"Your soul," Kera replied calmly, "Your soul cries out, but no one hears it. You let your anger consume you. Become you. You hide everything that you think makes you weak. Don't hide it, Tristan. You make yourself weaker by the moment if you do."

Tristan's face contorted into a mixture of anger, sadness, and fear, for he knew she spoke the truth. "Your view on weakness is completely distorted, sister."

"Then why do I see fear in your eyes?" Kera asked, "Tristan, this is not how it's supposed to be. Help me. Don't let the queen take over our lives. Again. Look at what she's doing."

Just then, a sunbeam came into the room and reflected of Kera's mirror, and into Tristan's eyes. Tristan stumbled back and became very shaken. Kera didn't know it, but he was having a vision. She gently approached him after a few moment, "Tristan, are you alright?" He looked up at Kera, kicked her back and began to run, but not before he said, "You'll never defeat her. She's knows all, just watch the mirror."

Kera turned back to see her. "Oh no," Kera breathed, "No, I have to help them." She grabbed her father's sword and ran.

--

"B, there's something out there. Something big. And it's coming for us," Faith said, "It's in my gut."

"I know, Faith," Buffy sighed.

"You know what?" Angel entered the room, newspaper in hand.

"Angel, do you get the feeling that something big is about to happen?" Faith asked. Angel paled and thought of the deal he made with Hank.

"Faith was telling me about a dream she had…like the ones I used to have about you…"

"About who?"

"Connor," Faith answered. What little color was left in Angel's face drained away (and that's saying something for a 279-year-old vampire).

"Angel, are you alright?" Buffy got up and cupped his cheek, "Do you need…"

"No," Angel choked out, "No, I'm fine." And he turned on his heel and walked out of the room. Buffy and Faith glanced at each other before following him into the master bedroom.

"Angel, what's really the matter?" Buffy pressed on.

"I did it for you!" Angel cried out, "I did it so you could have him back! It killed me seeing you brokenhearted! And now…"

"Angel, what are you talking about?" Buffy looked more worried than ever.

"The guilt is eating at me like a slow poison," Angel wasn't talking to either of them anymore, but to himself. He seemed to have forgotten that the two Slayers were in the room, "Everyday, everyday I see your faces more clearly, each day I know you might not be there the next, because of what I've done…I deserve to go to hell forever for what I've done!"

"Angel," Faith finally couldn't take his crazed talking anymore and went up and punched him. Buffy cried out, but Faith said, "No, whatever you've done, whatever it is that's going to happen has NOTHING to do with you."

"No, no, you don't understand…"

"You helped me during the worst time of my life, when I didn't deserve anything, or anyone," Faith reminded him, "You haven't even done anything and you're beating yourself up."

"I have," Angel whimpered, "I've done the worst thing possible. I'm sorry, Buffy, I'm so sorry."

"Angel, you're scaring me," Buffy was at the point of tears now, "I've never seen you this…crazed, this…this maniacal…what happened?"

"I can't," Angel started murmuring to himself, "I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't…"

--

"Brother?" Sean cried out, "Who the hell are you? Breaking into my home? What do you want?"

"Only you, brother" the Queen of the Beholders stepped into the mortal world for the first time in a long time.

"Stop calling me that!" Sean shouted, pushing Kathy aside, "I'm not your brother!"

"Of course you don't remember, yet," the Queen continued to speak in a soothing tone, "But the changes…you kept me in your heart." She walked up to him and fingered the firestone necklace he wore. As she touched it, Sean let out a cry of pain, and his eyes, along with the fiery red, had flecks of gold in them.

"Leave him alone!" Kathy made an attempt to go after the Queen, but the Queen stopped her with a wave of her hand, "Let me go!"

Dawn and Gabby suddenly grabbed the nearby weapons on the wall that Sean had up as decoration and swung them at the two apparent minions guarding the door. While they were fighting the Queen said to Kathy, "You're in love with him. How touching. It is always common for us to take mortal lovers."

"Who are you?" Sean growled, in a deeper voice that shocked Kathy.

"Look into your heart, and you'll know everything," the Queen lightly brushed her fingers across his face.

Dawn was just barely managing to overcome the Beholder she was struggling with. Gabby on the other hand, wasn't faring so well. "You think you can defeat us?" the Beholder growled, "You overestimate your chances, missy."

"I think you underestimate us, quite a bit," Gabby smirked as she landed a kick to the Beholder's gut. At that moment, a bang could be heard on the door. Soon after, the door was broken open by…

"Kari!" Dawn screamed, "Get out of here!" Kari looked around and saw the Queen standing over Sean, while a helpless Kathy looked on.

"It's you," she spat, unsheathing the sword from her back. The Queen wasn't paying attention to her, so Kari threw the sword. It sliced through the Queen.

"Who dares to try and…" the Queen snarled before she saw her attacker, "…oh, it's you. I shouldn't have even bothered sending your brother here, when now I can just kill you myself." She yanked the sword out of herself and sent it back to Kari.

"I'd like to see you try," Kari glared back at her, with determination in her eyes. As they were about to fight, a loud scream pierced the air. The Beholder fighting Gabby had scratched her across the neck, not causing blood to seep out, but a clear, transparent silver liquid.

"You idiot!" The Queen yelled, "You know what happens when we touch mortals! Curse you!"

"I'm so sorry, my Queen," the Beholder trembled.

"I'll come back for you, you brat, and dear brother," she looked at Sean, "I won't be forgetting you either." And with that the Queen and her two minions disappeared in a silver wisp. Gabby held her neck where the Beholder had wounded her, while Dawn walked over to see how she was.

"Who was that?" Kathy asked, now caring for a trembling Sean.

"The Queen of the Beholders," Kari answered.

"What did she want?"

"She wanted Sean," Kari sighed.

"That woman was saying he was her brother," Kathy looked at Kari more inquisitively now, "Why?"

"I…I don't know," Kari replied nervously.

"Look, you guys go home," Kathy said to Dawn and Gabby, "I can't leave Sean here alone." Sean at the moment was trembling on the ground with his hands protecting his head. "Tell Buffy and Angel that…we were nearly mugged or something."

"You're not going to tell them the truth?" Kari inquired. If she wanted to start to change the future, this would be a good starting point.

"They don't need to know," Kathy said.

"Yes, they do! And if you don't tell them," Kari turned to Dawn and Gabby, "I will."

Kathy sighed, "Fine. But tell them at least not to come here. I need time alone with him."

"Alright," Dawn said, "Come on. We have to get you cleaned up too." She put her arm around Gabby and walked with Kari out the door. After they'd left, Kathy turned back to Sean.

"Come on, my man," she helped pick him up off the floor, "We're getting you into a bed."

"My sister," Sean said in that same deep voice, "She's my sister…I'm remembering…" Kathy looked at him, worriedly.

"You believe her?" she asked softly.

"Memories, Kathy, so many memories," Sean whimpered, "They're coming back. Please, Kathy, whatever happens, stay with me, just stay with me."

"You know I will," Kathy gently kissed his hand, "I promise. I love you, you big lug. It's pretty hard to live without you."

"I love you too, Kathy," he cupped his hand around her cheek. Suddenly, in another wisp, the Queen appeared in Sean's bedroom.

"Oh, my brother," the Queen glided over to the two of them, "I'm sorry you had to suffer this way. But you needed to know the truth," she glanced at Kathy, "I see this mortal girl is still with you."

"Excuse me, the mortal girl has a name, you know," Kathy spat back at her, still not believing what this woman said.

"I know, Kathy," the Queen replied calmly, "I know everything about you, you and Vulcan, your family…"

"Vulcan? His name is Sean!" Kathy yelled back at her. Sean squeezed her hand to warn her not to do anything rash.

"Sean, such a pitiful name, for such a strong being…stupid mortals…you can't trust them with anything," the Queen seemed to sigh, "Come Vulcan, we're going home."

"This is my home, sister," Sean said, but in the same strange voice he had earlier, "With Kathy."

"You prefer being with her over me?" the Queen began to get angry.

"I love her," Sean said, "And I can't be without her."

-Part 3-

"You can't what?" Buffy grabbed onto Angel's shoulders, "Angel, I need you to talk to me. I need you to tell me what's going on!"

"Please, Buffy, don't…you'll loathe me," Angel said, "I can't take that too along with this."

"I won't hate you," Buffy said, "I can't hate you Angel! I'm too damn in love with you to hate you!"

"I'm not ready…this is something I have to bear alone right now," Angel seemed to calm down upon hearing Buffy's words, "I'll tell you…soon."

Buffy sighed, "Fine. But you can't be a total basket case again, or I will make you tell me, even if I have to beat it out of you."

"And I'll be here to back her up," Faith added.

"Buffy! Angel!"

"Oh, now what?" Buffy scowled as she and Faith went out into the kitchen.

"Buffy," Dawn said breathlessly.

"Gabriella, what happened to you?" Buffy immediately saw the wound on her neck.

"We were attacked at Sean's house," Gabby replied.

"Who's this?" Faith pointed to Kari. Buffy's gaze wandered to where Faith was pointing and locked eyes with Kari. 'Kera…this is my little girl, all grown up!' Buffy instantly thought, 'No. No it can't be. Kera's sleeping in her crib right now.'

"Sorry!" Kari had been looking at Buffy, "I'm Kari…Kari Dawson. I just moved here."

"And what happened at Sean's," Buffy questioned again.

"There was a woman, a woman and two minions," Dawn began, "The woman seemed to be talking to Sean, saying that he was her brother. Sean's eyes were a fierce red and yellow, and he was in pain…so we tried to fight the two minions who blocked the front door. They were strong. Too strong, but then when one of them scratched Gabby, the woman seemed angered and yelled 'you know what happens when we touch mortals!' and then they disappeared."

"Wait, where's K?" Faith asked.

"She's staying with Sean," Dawn answered, "She said not to worry and not to come over. She needed time alone with him."

"Who was this woman?"

"The Queen of the Beholders," Kari answered, "she's powerful. When she wants something she gets it."

"And she definitely wanted Sean," Dawn looked worriedly at her sister.

"Come on, Gabriella," Faith said, "There's a first aid kit in the back. Let's get you fixed up." The pair went into the other room, leaving Dawn, Kari, and Buffy alone to talk.

'Mother, oh, how beautiful you look. You still look happy, even though everything's about to turn upside-down.' Kera thought to herself. "One of the reason I moved here was because I was told by…a friend that there would be a Queen who would try and take the prophecy child that's supposed to destroy the world."

"How do you know about that?" Buffy's eyes narrowed. There was something very off about this girl.

"My friend…m-my teacher found the prophecy among his ancient texts," Kari answered. She was figuring out her own way to get them to try and help. "Look, all I know is, is that Sean isn't the child she's after. She called him brother. This child has no relation to her," Kari said, "Wait, how do you know about the prophecy?" Kari decided to be coy.

"It's my son who's in that prophecy," Buffy stated.

"Buffy, maybe Kari can help us," Dawn suggested, "She seems to know a lot about this Queen."

"How much?"

"A lot," Kari said, "I would be glad to help you, if it means that the world will survive and your son goes down the right path. I'll tell you right now, not all prophecies come true. And I will help you make sure this one doesn't either."

--

_'She lures you into a false sense of security and power. She uses you.' _

It was that voice again. That comforting voice. The vision didn't help either. Could it be right? Could that happen? Just because of what he could do? No, no it was impossible. The Queen told him who he really was, loved him, didn't try and shut him out ever.

_'You can choose your destiny. Choose it well. Think of those who love you. Those loved ones who you turned your back on.' _

'They turned their backs on me. They never understood me.' And there it was again, that sunlight. That bright annoying sunlight that showed him was could have been. Picnics in the park, in the sunlight, the whole family. Trips to the zoo, to museums, to amusement parks. Quality time with the family. School, girlfriends, cars, jobs, the beach, everything that a normal child could have. That was all he ever wanted.

_'And you can have it.' _

No. It was too late. He was happy where he was. Independent. Free. No attachments or emotions holding him down. Nothing. But there was that light. At the light of the sun, he was with his family, with all the memories he wanted to have. But they would never understand, never could understand.

_'No! Tristan, No!'_

_'I'm sorry my son.' _

_'Go to hell mother.'_

_The sound of a neck snapping. _

_A daughter's scream. _

_A father and husband's rage. _

That was what he relished in. That was his comfort. The pain.

…or was it?


	4. Chapter 4

**Immortal: the Virtual Series  
**Episode 3.4: Burning Secrets  
Written by The Main Slayer  
Airdate: June 14, 2006  
Episode rating: K+

**-Part 1-**

Walking down the hallways at school was a lot harder than Kera had expected. They seemed more cramped as she made her way silently to her homeroom where her friends were waiting for her. After her encounter with her brother, Kera had begun to feel more and more insecure about her position in this world. He really would find a way to expose her. She knew he would, but at the present time there was really nothing she could do about it. She had to stop him, but she wasn't sure how a young girl like her could actually defeat her own brother who was ten times more powerful then she would ever hope to be. Making a stop at her locker, Kera opened it up and put her books inside. All she need was her binder anyway, they were supposed to be watching a movie today. She looked into the mirror hanging in her locker and saw a pair of tired worn out eyes staring back at her. She closed them and fought her pending tears as she wished that she had some help and guidance. She already knew that Dawn was suspicious. She was acting very strange anytime Kera started talking to her. If Tristan got to Dawn already, the plan was over. She would never get into that house to perform the spell to save her brother. She wished she could contact her Aunt and ask her questions about the ritual…at that, Kera's eyes snapped open. She could contact her Aunt! Why not? She knew enough magic, she could summon her here, or at least talk to her between the worlds. She knew that her Aunt would be unhappy, but where was the harm. She grabbed hold of her old text sitting in her locker and took off for the girl's washroom. She opened the door and checked every stall. When she was satisfied that no one was there she set her book down and opened her bag. After locking the door, Kera drew a pentagram on the floor and lit several candles positioned at its points. She sat down in the center and searched for the appropriate spell. She needed help and her Aunt was the only one who could help. Kera put the book down and closed her eyes. She started her incantation.

--

Tristan arrived at the Queen's hideaway just before dawn. He threw open the doors to her throne room to find her speaking to a man he thought had died years ago…but then he was in the past. The Lord of the Underworld stood and looked upon the young man who had just entered the room. He knew he wasn't wanted. He bowed to the Queen and spoke softly so that only she could hear.

"I take my leave. Think about what I have asked of you." He said. With the turn of a head, he opened a portal to the underworld and entered it. The Queen watched him leave and then stood from her throne. She moved towards Tristan and with lightning speed took hold of his throat and raised him into the air.

"How dare you! How dare you enter my home and force my guest to leave! Who are you!" She demanded. Tristan laughed.

"Do not tell me you don't know me my Queen?" He asked her. The Queen looked more closely then and realized whom she held before her.

"This is not possible." She said as she set the boy down. She looked at him, her hair billowing down her shoulders and her lips curling into a smile. She moved around him and looked up over several times. She stopped again facing the young man and moved back to her seat.

"Oh, but it is. You know who I am now?"

"I do," She said as she sat, "You are the Slayer and vampire's son. But how did you come to be here?"

"With a little help from you. I know what you want, and I want it too. My little sister is here. The older version. She seeks to destroy my life and yours. I want to help you." The Queen thought.

"And how do you propose we do that?" She asked him. Tristan raised his hand and floated a small black stone towards the Queen.

"With this." The Queen took the object and smiled.

"How will this help us?"

"I will change my sister. Make her out to be the one they are to kill not me. By forcing them to see something that is not really there, they will think she is the enemy and begin a manhunt to destroy her. You will be rid of her and so will I." Tristan moved before the Queen and knelt at her feet.

"You are brave," She said to him as he looked up at her, "We will need more than just this rock."

"Tell me what you need, my Queen." For once, the Queen was looking happy. The Lord of the Underworld was at her mercy and so was this young fool. She would get rid of Kera and the Slayer and Vampire with one simply stone. She smiled and told Tristan what was required. Tristan left the throne room and the Queen looked out her high windows. It really was going to be a beautiful day.

**CREDITS ROLE**

Only moments passed before Willow appeared to Kera. She seemed older than Kera remembered, but that is what being a goddess does to a woman. Kera smiled at her Aunt and her Aunt smiled back.

"Hello little one." She said.

"Aunt Willow, I need your help."

"This will have to be a quick question, the Queen is attacking I need to help the other Slayers." She replied.

"I understand," Kera said lowering her head, "I think I'm in trouble. Tristan is here. He seeks to expose me and what I'm about to do. What should I do?"

"There is not much that you can do. You must keep your true intentions to yourself. Tristan may or may not expose you, but if he does know this…you will no longer be safe. Not only from him, but also from your mother and father. I see trouble ahead of you…you need to remain strong and fight. Know that they do not know who you are, so what they may or may not do is not in their control. Kera you are your mother's daughter, you will figure it out. I must go. Peace be with you." Willow disappeared and left Kera sitting in silence on the bathroom floor. A bang resounded in the bathroom. Kera then remembered that she had locked the girl's bathroom door.

"OPEN UP!" Someone yelled. Quickly Kera stood and unlocked the door. Just as quickly she ran into one of the stalls. Standing up on the toilet she remained quiet. The girls entered the bathroom and looked around.

"What the hell?" One asked.

"No clue, lets just get ready and go so we are not late for our class." The other replied. As soon as Kera knew they were gone she exited the bathroom and headed to the library where she was supposed to meet Dawn and Kathy to help them with research on the Queen of the Beholders. Kera knew it was f utile attempt, because no documented sources existed but Buffy had asked. Kera wasn't sure, but she felt that her mother now knew who she was. The bond of mother and child is strong, but Kera didn't think it would be that strong. She was concerned, but it would stop her from stopping the horrible future that awaited them. Kera entered the library and found her friends. They waved and she walked towards them.

"Hey!" She said, "How is Sean?" Kathy smiled.

"He is doing okay. Confused, but okay."

"Let's start and get this over with." Dawn said opening a book.

"This is silly," Kari said, "We are never going to find anything. She is not documented at all."

"There has to be something. A reference, anything that will point us in the right direction." Dawn said as she opened her laptop and started searching every online demon database or non-demon database that she could. Kathy opened a book on ancient mythological history and began to reference and read. Kari stood and headed to the library reference cards. _If I was an ancient god, what would I want to be categorized as? Gods? That is always a start._ She took out a couple of cards and then searched on the school database for gods. After she had collected all her book she sat down next to Kathy and started to go through them. This was a start.

--

Sean stared at himself in the mirror. So much had changed in the last twenty-four hours that he had no idea who he was anymore. He had showered more then a half and hour ago but still stood in his bathrobe in front of the mirror. Closing his eyes he tried to clear his head but a small image capture his attention. Focusing harder he became engulfed in an old memory.

_The air was cold. The sun was ice, literally, made of white ice. Ahead of him loomed a great castle. He knew who lived there; he knew what he was there to do. For too long, the Lord they followed had kept his sister captive. Not allowing her true potential to rise. He was created in the Lord's image and he hated it. He hated the Lord. His sister was a prisoner and it was up to him to set her free and allow her to come to her full power. He knew he couldn't kill the Lord, but he could put him to sleep easily enough. He had managed to come across a powder that would put the Lord to sleep for the remainder of the full moon. The moon would rise in only a matter of hours and then the spell would take effect. He had slipped the powder into the Lords drink by paying off one of his servants. In a couple of hours the Queen would be free. Vulcan walked towards then castle, his eyes burning, as he smiled and let the fire within him engulf his hand throwing the fire upwards hitting the sun and laughed as he watched it burn._

Sean's eyes snapped open and he shook his head. _This is insane! My name is Sean, not Vulcan!_ Sean had no idea what was happening to him but he needed to figure it out soon or there may not be enough left of him. He had to go and talk to his parents. They would have some answers. Sean got dressed and headed out the door unknowing that he was being followed.

**-Part 2-**

Tristan knew that he needed to do was convince his stupid mother and father that Kera was not who she appeared to be. She was trying to help them find information about his Queen, so all he needed to do was get the information to them first. Tristan loved his Queen, but he loved himself more. What was the point in just destroying his sister when he could destroy the Queen too and have the world for himself? He always knew that he was meant for more than just a servant to the powerful, he wanted all the power for himself. Tristan had come up with the perfect way to gain his mother and father's trust all he had to do was set his plan in motion. He was in Central Park awaiting the beginning of his plan. He saw them come before they would even know he was there. Faith and Connor. His stupid brother had never trusted him and had always told his father when he had done something wrong. Little did they know they were a part of his plan. He had told the Queen that the only way to get to Kera was through his brother. This of course was a lie. Hiding across the street was one of her Beholders. Everything proceeded like clockwork.

--

Faith held Connor's hand as they walked in the park. This was really nice. It was the first time in a long time that Connor and her had been alone. Faith sighed and leaned her head on Connor's shoulder as he tensed. She looked up and gave him a questioning look.

"What's up?" She asked.

"I feel something. Something is wrong." Connor looked around and took out a knife he had strapped to his ankle. Faith sensed it too. She stood next to him as she took out her stake that she had hidden in the back of her pants. Together they stood as the most beautiful woman appeared before them.

"She's a Beholder." Faith said. The woman turned her appearance dark and attacked them. Connor moved towards her as Faith braced herself. Connor and the Beholder fell to the ground. She pushed him off her with super speed and he flew back and hit a tree. Faith snarled with anger and ran at the woman. Thrusting her stake she hit the Beholder in the shoulder and broke skin. Connor regained his footing to watch as Faith was thrown to the ground. He picked up his knife and ran towards the Beholder. The Beholder took hold of Connor's hand and snapped his wrist. Connor cried out in pain as he dropped the knife and tried to get away from the Beholder's grasp. Faith stood and took hold of the knife thrusting it into the Beholders foot. She howled and let go of Connor. Faith moved towards Connor and was prepared for another attack when a white light screamed past her head and hit the Beholder. She turned around to find a young man standing behind them. _What the?_ Faith watched as the young man took out a long sword and moved towards the stunned Beholder. With one swift movement, he took off the Beholder's head and turned around to face them. Faith watched as the Beholder vanished leaving only the robe that had enveloped her body. Concern played in the young man's eyes as he offered his hand.

"Are you guys alright?" He asked. Faith resisted only a moment as she accepted his hand up. Faith stood and helped Connor.

"Thanks to you we are," Faith said, "Who are you?" The young man looked around and smiled.

"Here is not the best place, uh, do you have somewhere private we can go?" He asked. Connor nodded.

"My dad's place. He is going to want to hear this one." Tristan smiled and followed his new 'friends' out of the Park and into a cab. It took only minutes to get to the penthouse. Everything was going perfectly.

--

News reached the Queen about her Beholder through the wind. She had always had the ability to control the weather. Anger rose in her body as she tried to collect the last events of her Beholder's life. They were blurred; as if who killed her had blocked her remaining moments from history. The Queen screamed as frustration took hold of her. Little did she know the Lord was watching.

"Upset my Queen?" He asked her. The Queen whirled around and stared at her creator.

"Do you know? Do you know that one of my own is now dead!"

"Yes I do. I know who did it." The Lord replied calmly as he seated himself in her throne. Swiftly the Queen walked to the throne and knelt before the Lord.

"Who." She demanded. The Lord laughed.

"Do you honestly think I would tell you?"

"TELL ME!" The Queen yelled shaking the walls of the throne room. The Lord rose and took hold of the Queens arm dragging her to her feet.

"It is not my place." The Lord then kissed her and allowed her to fall to the ground. The Queen hung her head and allowed her anger to bubble as the Lord left the room. Raising her head the Queen shrieked shattering all the glass surrounding her. The murderer would pay.

--

Connor unlocked the door to the penthouse and let in Faith and their new friend. Connor wasn't sure why, but he had the feeling that this kid knew more than he was letting on. And Connor, being Connor, had to know every little detail. Faith closed the door and showed their guest to the kitchen.

"You can help yourself. I'll go and get Buffy, she is probably with the twins." Faith left Connor and the young man in the kitchen. It took only moments for Buffy and Angel to enter the kitchen with first aid kit in tow.

"What happened?" Angel asked them. Connor told his father what had transpired and then explained the presence of their new friend. Angel looked at the man and then furrowed his brow.

"Have I met you before?" He asked him.

"I delivered you a pizza a couple of nights ago." Angel nodded.

"That's right you did, so is this demon-fighting thing a hobby?" He asked.

"You could say that." The young man replied. Buffy walked up to him and took his hand.

"Thank you for helping them, what's your name?" She asked. Tristan thought a moment. He needed a different name.

"Alex."

"Well, Alex," Angel said crossing his arms, "Faith says you killed this Beholder. How is it that you know how to kill them?"

"Because they are my enemy as much as they are yours. I'm here to help you."

"If you don't mind me asking, how is that they are your enemy?" Buffy asked.

"They killed my family."

--

Kera could sense that something was very wrong. She put down her book and excused herself to the bathroom. Once more Kera summoned her strength to search for her brother. She closed her eyes and chanted:

"What can not be seen, reveal to me. Show me the evil that is meant to expose me." In the mirror an image appeared. Tristan was standing in their parent's penthouse and was talking with their mother and father. Kera studied the image and noticed that they were not fighting or preparing to fight. Tristan then handed Angel an envelope. Kera focused more, and saw that in the envelope were documents regarding the Beholders. And a picture, a picture she noticed, of her.

"No." Kera broke her concentration and let the image melt away. She raced from the bathroom just as a cell phone ring sounded throughout the library. Dawn blushed and picked it up. Kera watched as Dawn spoke softly on her phone and looked around her.

"Shit." Kera said to herself. There was no way for her to get her things; she would just have to leave. Tristan had done something and whatever he had said had changed the playing field for her. She continued to watch as Dawn packed up her bags and Kathy hers. Then she watched as they took all of Kera's things with them. Kera moved away from the door as Dawn and Kathy exited. They walked towards the bathroom ignoring the fact that Kera was behind the door.

"Are you sure?" Kathy asked.

"That is what Buffy said."

"It can't be right. She is too nice."

"Maybe that is what the throw off was." Dawn replied as they left the main library. Kera entered the library and found that none of her things were there and that even her house keys were gone. She had to get home and get gone as soon as she could. Kera raced from the school and headed home. She broke into her own home and packed up as much as she could. They would be coming to check out her place soon. She had to find a motel and some money fast. She took the mirror off the wall and shoved it into her suitcase. Taking one more look around, Kera left her apartment with the door open. There was no more playing it nice. She had to find out what he did. No more than an hour later, Kera checked herself into a motel with some money she had left over in her pocket. She sat on the bed and positioned the mirror above the broken dresser. She looked at herself in the mirror and closed her eyes. Tears threatened to push past her eyelids but she shook her head.

"You can do this Kera. You can." A new resolve came over Kera. If Tristan wanted to play hardball, then she would play hardball. She knew then, that the only way to save her future and her parents was to get rid of the one thing standing in its way…Tristan.

**-Part 3-**

Dawn and Kathy arrived home just as Buffy and Angel finished reading the information that was given to them by Alex. They had waited for the girls to return to hear what he had to say. The information presented was sound. Angel would run it through Giles, but this was the first real lead on the Beholders that they were able to find, except Kari. Angel stood and looked at Alex.

"Okay, all here. Ready to tell us what you know?" He asked.

"I will do my best." Alex moved to the window and began his story:

"Most of what is written in those pages is true. The Lord of the Underworld created the Queen of the Beholders. He created her to be his Queen for all eternity but what he didn't know was that she was more powerful than he was. She had the ability to create her own soldiers, known as the Beholders. They are very powerful and have powers that even to this day are unknown. One of the most interesting ones is their ability to take a human or immortal soul. Either through sucking it out of their bodies or by touch. What's left is either an empty shell or a new kind of evil, one that only serves the Beholders. For centuries the Lord kept the Queen under control, but her brother, Vulcan, freed her so that she could overthrow the Lord and take over. But of course, no one can take over from the Lord. Once freed the Queen managed to create her own world of fire and ice where she resided until a window of opportunity presented itself for her to escape." Alex turned back to the group and moved towards a chair.

"What kind of window?"

"No one really knows. There is a prophecy that says a Chosen one will destroy the Queen and end her reign of terror. No one knows who this Chosen one really is, but we know for sure that it isn't the vampire Slayer. Different Chosen. The Queen has been searching for this person all her life. But every generation, no one ever fits the stories. So she waited. All I know is that the Chosen one is here, that is why she is here. I don't know how to kill her just her minions."

"And?" Angel asked.

"By cutting off their heads. That is about as fancy as it gets, but it is incredibly hard to do so. They are really fast and they are not usually hurt by much of anything. I had to use a stun spell to gain the upper hand or she would have killed Connor and Faith."

"Okay, so that is good to know. Why are you after them?"

"They killed my family. They thought that my little sister was this Chosen one and they came after us. They murdered them all to get to her, but in the end she was just a regular girl. I watched as they sucked the soul right out of her and left her empty body on the ground. I will kill as many of them as I can to avenge my sister." Alex lowered his head. Dawn raised a hand and Buffy nodded.

"How does Kari fit into all of this? You said she is helping them?" Dawn questioned.

"I'm sorry you have to hear this from me. Kari is actually the Queen's best servant. If you look at the pictures I have, you will see that she has met with her on more than one occasion."

"What does she want? I mean, why would she take the time to be nice and help us out?" Buffy asked, thinking about the connection she had with the young woman the night before.

"Because she believes that one of your children is this Chosen one. She wants to get to the children to perform some kind of ritual so that she can find out. If I were you, I would keep her away. Better yet, I would take them time to get rid of her completely." Alex looked at his father with firm eyes.

"She is a mortal. We can't kill a mortal being." Angel stated firmly. _Always the wimp. _Tristan/Alex thought.

"She isn't mortal. She herself is the product of an immortal union of two beings. Let me help you get rid of her and the Beholders. Your children will be safe and I will have my revenge." Alex waited. The gang thought but it was Angel who answered.

"If you do this for us, what do we have to do for you?" There was always a catch. Alex smiled.

"Honestly, allowing me to kill the one who murdered my family will be thanks enough. Just allow me the final kill, and we will be even. All the proof you need is in the envelope including her home address. If you don't believe me, look for yourself." Alex sat back as Angel examined the contents once more. Buffy linked minds with him and they thought it through.

_"How do we know he isn't the one playing us and that Kari is the good one?" Buffy asked._

_"We can't know. There is now way to know." Angel replied._

_"We can't just trust him. We just met him." Buffy protested._

_"He saved Connor's life."_

_"And Kari saved Dawn, Kathy and Sean's. It can go both ways Angel." Buffy said. Angel nodded._

_"So what do you want to do?"_

_"I want to talk to Willow. I want to give them both the benefit of the doubt before we proceed to kill one of them. Think things through. We have our children to consider."_

_"Okay. But if I find out that either one of them is a threat to my family, they are dead." Buffy nodded._

"Okay, you can help. Do you think you can get us some more information on the Queen and even Kari? Where they came from? That kind of thing?" Angel asked.

"You know I can. Anything." Alex/Tristan replied.

"Okay. Do you have a place to stay?" Buffy asked him.

"I do." After exchanging numbers Buffy showed Alex to the door. Alex/Tristan walked from the building with a new sense of pride. _They are a complete bunch of fools_ he thought. He could watch his sister and he would. Secrets are never good for the soul and Tristan wouldn't rest until all the secrets that his sister and his family were holding came to light. He would gain control of the world and would have the pleasure of killing his parents, yet again, and his wonderful sister. He knew that Kera would have switched residences by now, so all he had to do was find out where she was now. _Which of course won't be hard._ Tristan thought as he entered his own home one block down from his families. Tristan walked into his bedroom and gazed at a mirror hanging on the wall. It was exactly the same as the one residing within Kera's home. They had been gifts. Tristan used it for different purposes, but they both provided the same service. Tristan didn't waste his time talking with dead family; he searched for those who had ruined his life. Tonight he would search for Kera and tomorrow he would expose her for the bitch that she really was. Tristan laughed as the pale moon shone high above the trees casting a gloomy shadow over the great city of New York.


	5. Chapter 5

**Immortal: the Virtual Series****  
**Episode 3.5: Haunted Dreams  
Written by The Main Slayer

**Part 1**

_This can't be happening_ Kera thought as she paced around in her room. After finding out that her own brother had managed to turn her family against her, she had been exhausting all of her options on how to regain the trust that had been destroyed. So far she had come up empty handed. Even school had been hard to get through. She had found that the next day both Dawn and Kathy had stopped speaking to her and were even following her. There were times when she even saw her Aunt Faith following her around at the mall or in the park on her jog. Tristan had ruined her plans to save their future and at the moment there was no other plan in place. _Think Kera think! There has to be a way to get to the baby to perform the spell to save Tristan and my family. But how?_ She sat down on her hotel bed and rested her head in her hands. She fell back on her bed and closed her eyes. She was so tired. She had not had sleep in days and figured that maybe some good old fashioned sleep would do her some good. She turned onto her side and took hold of the pillow allowing herself to drift off into a restless sleep.

_Up a winding path there was a large house. Parked at the front of the house was a black mustang. A young girl with blonde pigtails looked up from her flower picking and smiled. She dropped what she was doing and ran up the pathway to the front doors. Smiling and laughing, she sped up hoping to get to the door before the car drove away. Not watching where she was going, a rock stood in her path. Before she knew it, she tripped and fell hands and face first into the dirt right outside of the driver side door. The little girl turned herself around and noticed that she had scraped her knee. Tears welled in her eyes as she began to cry. She held onto her knee and cried until the front door of the car opened and a tall man stepped out onto the driveway. He knelt down and swooped her up in his arms. The little girl wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. The man took the little girl into the house and headed for the kitchen. He set her down on the counter and took out a first aid kit. The little girl continued to sob as the man opened the kit and took out the antiseptic and a band-aid._

_"I don't want that stuff." The little girl whined. Dipping the cotton ball into the antiseptic the man smiled._

_"It will help clean the cut on her knee." He said._

_"But it will hurt." She cried._

_"No Boo, it won't hurt you. I promise." He lightly touched the ball to her knee and she cried out more._

_"Daddy! That hurts!"_

_"Kera." He said sternly. Little Kera stopped crying and looked into the dark eyes of her father. She bit her lower lip and allowed her father to clean her cut and put a band-aid on top of it. She smiled as her father bent down and kissed it better. She giggled and let her dad swoop her into his arms and dance around with her._

_"Feel better boo?"_

_"Yes. Why do they hurt so much daddy?" She asked._

_"They only hurt because you think they hurt. If you didn't think they hurt, they wouldn't." He said to her._

_"That doesn't work."_

_"Sure it does. Whenever I get hurt I always think of something else."_

_"Like what?" She asked him._

_"Like, mommy and your brother and you." He said to her. She smiled as her dad put her down on the chair and smiled, "Would you like to have some ice cream?"_

_"Yes please." Her dad went to the freezer and took out the strawberry ice cream and the scoop. Strawberry ice cream was her favourite and her dad always knew that it made her feel better. Placing the bowl in front of her, her dad sat down opposite her with his own bowl. The little girl smiled and laughed as her father made funny faces. Her father put down his bowl and smiled at his daughter._

_"You know daddy has to go away again, right?" The little girl's face fell as tears began to well in her eyes._

_"But why!" She demanded of him._

_"Because there are people in this world who need daddy. Just like you do."_

_"But I'm your daughter. I should come first." Her father smiled._

_"And you do," he sighed and took his daughter's little hand, "Let me tell you a secret." She leaned forward to make sure that she was the only one daddy was telling the secret too._

_"When you don't know what to do, always look to the past. You will sometimes learn more than you expect."_

_"Daddy, that doesn't make any sense." She said._

_"It will. Someday." Her father then stood and put his bowl in the dishwasher. He then kissed her on the top of her head and headed for the door. The little girl jumped down and raced after her father hoping that maybe he would change his mind and stay with her and her brother and mommy. She watched as her father got into his car, started the engine and drove out of sight. Tears fell down the little girls face as she watched her father drive away from her again._

Kera snapped out of her dream and sat upright on her bed. _Of course!_ She thought to herself. Jumping off the bed she opened a small trunk she was travelling with. Her dad was right! Look to the past and you will learn. If she forced the past on her brother, he might just give up what he was doing. Tristan may be evil, but there was something that she knew about him more than anyone. Her brother was never good with dealing with past events. Whenever he did something he always forgot it the moment after he did it. He never dwelled on the past or what the past was, that is why he was so good at being evil. If she could make him remember the things that he had done, maybe he would snap. She took out a packed wrapped in brown paper and sat on her bed. She placed the items around her, crossed her legs and lit the single candle in front of her. Breathing in deep, Kera began her trip down memory lane.

**Part 2**

With the shades drawn, the little room looked like a prison cell. There was a small window on the right side of the room, a tiny closet that revealed little in the way of cloths, and a small night table sitting next to a single bed. The floors were cement and the heater in the corner of the room was no longer working, making simply a humming noise to indicate that it needed repairs. Groaning Tristan rolled over and tried to ignore the humming sound. With only his boxers on and a sheet covering him, Tristan found that sleep was all to far away. All he wanted to do was get some rest in order to preserve his energy. If he wanted to keep up his role as the hero he would have to play nice, which he hated to do. As he kept his eyes closed and forced himself to relax, a wave of peace fell over his body. He then fell into a sleep that he could only describe as blissful...

_Standing in the middle of an open field, Tristan waited. The night sky was red, reflecting the deaths that had occurred from this war. Tristan's face and body was covered in the blood of his victims; his sword by his side, Tristan waited. In the distance a shadow appeared. Smiling Tristan raised his sword and watched as the figure became clearer and clearer. Small and lean, the blonde warrior approached him. She stopped and hefted her own sword looking into the eyes of her son._

_"We don't have to do this." She said to him. Tristan laughed._

_"Yes, I think we do." He began walking in a circle and watched as his mother did the same._

_"Please, Tristan, it doesn't have to be like this. Just put the sword away and come home with me. Please." She begged him._

_"Come home to what? To my vampiric father and a wimp of a sister. To a mother who doesn't care about me?" He demanded of her. She shook her head._

_"That is not true! I do care about you. But the path you have chosen is distructive. You will lose your life over it, whether it is at my hand, your father's, or your sisters." Tristan actually laughed at that._

_"My sister! That is hilarious. The perfect angel? Kill me? You really have gone crazy." He said as he lunged at her. The swords collided making sparks shoot to the sky. Pushing back, his mother pulled her arm back and brought her sword down. Tristan arched his arm up and again, matched his mother's force with his own. As their swords danced in the night, Tristan looked to his mother. She was becoming tired. After becoming part of the Queen's army and her right hand, he had been given a new sense of strength he had never experienced before. He found that he did not tire as easily and he could continue to fight well after his body had exhausted itself. He knew that he would win this fight. He had known that the minute they had begun. Bringing her sword down again, Buffy manged to get his arm. Yelling with frustration, Tristan sliced at his mother making her drop her sword and slicing her upper arm open. Buffy cried out and fell to the ground. Tristan stood above her and laughed._

_"You can't even fight me, what kind of Slayer are you? I thought you were _THE _Slayer? Guess not." Tristan heaved his sword and brought it down; Buffy caught it and pushed him back causing him to lose his balance. Standing up, Buffy picked up her sword and stood before her son._

_"You are misguided. Everything they have told you is a lie. Why can't you see that!" She cried._

_"NO! They told me everything, they told me you would lie to me and turn on me. They said that the only way to stop you was to kill you. They told me you never wanted me. That you knew what would happen to me and yet you did nothing. Everything they told me was the truth, all you ever did was lie." Anger dripped off every word as he glared at his mother._

_"Tristan, we tried. Your father and I. We did everything we could think of to save you from this fate. We even allowed one of our worst enemies to help us save you. The Fates even tried to help us, but there was nothing we could do. As you grew up you became more and more jealous of your sister and found numerous ways to cause trouble. They did this to you. They turned you against your family, why can't you understand that I would never do anything to hurt you. I love you." She cried awaiting Tristan's next attack._

_"No you don't! You love Kera, not me. You should have done more. You knew there was a way to save me, and you let me become this way. The Queen loves me and she will guide me through to do what I am supposed to do. Kill you." Tristan attacked again with such a force that Buffy was more than unprepared. Falling back, she held her ground and brought her sword around again. For hours, Tristan and his mother fought each other. Buffy was getting tired, there wasn't much more she could do. Falling to the ground, she put her sword down and hung her head._

_"GET UP!" Tristan yelled, "I won't let you win like this, giving up. Slayer's don't give up."_

_"I can't fight anymore. I won't fight you any longer. And you know I won't kill you. That means you will have to kill me."_

_"I will."_

_"Tristan, please, listen to me. Even if you don't believe me now, you will come to understand and learn that the Queen lied to you. She doesn't even want you, she wants your sister. You know this. You are nothing but a pawn in her master plan. She will betray you and then you will truely be alone. So do what you have to, I won't fight you anymore." Buffy hung her head and clasped her hands together. She knew that he would kill her, there was nothing more she could do to stop him. His mind had been so poisoned by the Queen's lies that there was no way to convince him otherwise._

_"You are wrong. She would never do that like you did." Raising his sword Tristan smiled, "Any last words mother?"_

_"I love you Tristan. I always will be watching over you." Buffy closed her eyes just as she saw the sword fall. _I love you Angel, I will see you again._ Was her last thought as the sword fell and dove through her chest piercing her heart. Her eyes snapped open as she looked at her son. He smiled as she gaped at the wound her chest. Trying to breathe, Buffy began to fall backwards. Tristan pulled his sword from his mother's chest allowing her body to hit the ground. Her head lulled to the side and her arms fell heavy at her sides. Her blonde hair fell in her face and blood seeped from her chest._

_"Goodbye mother." Tristan turned on his heel and left the body of his mother in an open field pray to the animals that stalked the night..._

Tristan opened his eyes as his mother's face filled his mind. She had lied to him. She didn't love him, she never did. He knew that if his family had loved him they would have done more to save him from this fate. He moved out of his bed and headed to the small bathroom adjacent to his bed. Splashing water in his face, he looked into the mirror.

"Tristan..." A whisper filled the room. Tristan turned eyes wide. The voice was so familiar.

"Tristan..." Racing out of the bathroom, Tristan pulled his sword from out from under his bed. Wiping around, Tristan confronted the voice.

"Who is there! Show yourself!" Eyes looking at everything, Tristan waited for a response.

"Tristan..."

"Who are you! Talk to me!" He moved back to the bathroom where he had first heard the voice. Looking back into the mirror, an image began to appear. Blonde hair, a dirty face, blood soaked on her face and her hair. Her green eyes appeared to be haunted and sad. Shocked registered on Tristan's face as his mother filled his bathroom mirror. Tristan backed away from the mirror and dropped his sword. The sword hit the ground with a clang as he took hold of the bathroom sink.

"What do you want!" He demanded.

"Why?" The image asked him.

"Why what! What do you want from me!"

"Why did you do it? Why did you kill me?" She asked him her face beginning to fade.

"You lied to me! You always lied to me! I killed you because I had to! Because I was told to..." Tristan lowered his head and ran his hands through his hair. Looking up again, his mother's face was gone and he saw nothing but his own reflection. _What is wrong with me. Why am I seeing these things._ Tristan moved back to the mirror and studied his face. After he was sure he was the only image, he raised his hand and punched the mirror causing it to break and shatter. _Stupid bitch! Trying to make me change my game plan._ Tristan picked up his sword again and put it back under his bed. Falling back on his bed, Tristan put his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling. These dreams wouldn't bother him, all he had to do was turn his family against Kera, which would push her to make a mistake giving him the perfect opportunity to get rid of her. She would never win, she never did.

**Part 3**

There was no way that Buffy could make sense of what was happening. First Kari says that she can help them, then this Alex says that she is the one who was evil. There was no way to know who was really telling the truth. It was a he said she said situation where no logical conclusion was present. The twins had been put down over an hour ago and Angel had gone down to his office to clear up a few things leaving Buffy by herself with her thoughts. Displayed on the table were several bridal magazines. Buffy's wedding was coming up and she had not had time to do any kind of planning or shopping for the most important day of her life. She had been waiting to marry Angel since she was sixteen, and with it looming in her future, she never felt more unprepared. Picking up one of the magazines, she began to flip through it hoping to stop something that would be perfect. Within minutes Buffy was asleep on her couch.

--

Angel was on his way home when he decided to stop in and visit his son. Heading to the door, Angel knocked on the door to room 409 and waited. Connor came to the door in his boxers and was less than pleased to see his dad.

"Yes?"

"Busy?" Angel asked.

"A little."

"Do you think I could come in for a minute or two?" Angel asked him. Connor opened the door and allowed his father access to his home.

"Come in." Angel stepped over the threshold and Connor closed the door behind him. Faith sat on the couch in her bra and underwear with a beer in her hand.

"Who is it?" She asked turning around, "Angel. Hey."

"Hey." Faith got up and smiled.

"Bedroom." Faith kissed Connor and left father and son alone. Angel moved to the living room and sat down on the large leather sofa. Connor followed his dad and sat down in the chair that sat next to the sofa.

"So what are you doing here? I mean its good to see you and all but its kind of late."

"I know, I was heading home from the office and I thought I would stop by and ask you a question."

"Sure, what?" Connor asked pushing the conversation along.

"Well, I'm getting married and I don't have any other family than you and the twins, so I thought I would ask you to be my best man." Angel said simply.

"Yeah, dad. That would be cool. Thanks for asking me." He said.

"No problem. Thought it would be appropriate," Angel got up and headed towards the door before turning and giving Connor a smile, "One more question."

"Anything."

"Do you think you could do me a favour and watch the twins tomorrow night? Buffy and I need a night. Its been a while." Angel said. Connor smiled.

"No problem dad. Faith and I would love to. Maybe we will rent a movie and chill."

"Thanks. Night." Angel opened the door.

"Night dad." Connor said watching as his dad headed towards the elevator. Connor shut the door and headed to his bedroom where Faith was waiting for him.

--

Angel arrived home twenty minutes later to find Buffy sound asleep on the couch with a bridal magazine in her lap. Angel smiled and moved towards her. Picking her up Angel carried her to their bedroom and placed her gently on the bed. Smiling to himself Angel went back to the living room, locked all the doors and windows, checked on the twins, then went back to his room closing the door behind him. Angel then took off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. He headed to the bathroom and washed up. Turning off light, Angel shed his pants and moved back to Buffy. Removing her cloths, Angel tucked her into bed and climbed in next her. Picking up his book, Angel decided the calm his mind by reading. Half an hour later, Buffy stirred and looked up at him.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." He said leaning down to kiss her forehead. Buffy smiled and closed her eyes, "I was having a good dream."

"Oh, were you. What about?"

"Us. Our family."

"And?"

"We were happy. Living in a house on the beach with a dog." Angel laughed.

"A dog?"

"Yep. We have to have a dog. All families have dogs."

"Okay, we can have a dog." Buffy laughed and pulled herself into Angel's lap. Angel wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head again. Angel picked up his book again as Buffy closed her eyes in his lap.

"Everyone is asleep." Buffy said.

"I know."

"Well, I think there is something much more fun we could be doing rather than reading a book." Buffy said to him as she took the book out of his hands and placed it on the night stand. Buffy straddled her lover and kissed him passionately. Angel pulled her to him and threaded his hands through her hair.

"I think you are right." Angel said breaking the kiss.

"I'm always right." Buffy replied as she kissed him again.

--

"So what did your dad want?" Faith asked as Connor entered the room. Connor closed the door and walked towards the bed.

"He asked me to be his best man."

"Really? Cool. Buffy asked me to be a bridesmaid earlier. I said yes. We have been through so much that it almost seems perfect you know." Faith took hold of Connor's hand and pulled him to the bed.

"He also asked him to watch the twins tomorrow."

"You said no right? I mean we have plans."

"I couldn't say no! Come on, when was the last time they were alone? We always have time to ourselves, what's one night?"

"You are such a pain in my ass you know that." Faith said sitting against the headboard. Connor climbed on the bed and took hold of her face.

"But you love that about me." Faith smiled and flipped the two of them.

"Yeah well someone has to love you." Faith kissed him allowing her hands to roam over his body.

"You say that like is a bad thing." Connor replied taking hold of her wrists.

"Its not, but sometimes it can be a little taxing."

"Since when is that a problem for you?" Connor asked. Faith smiled at him wickedly.

"Never." Kissing him hard, Faith moved down his body allowing the scents of her boyfriend wash over her.

--

As lovers entwined, across town Kera held her meditation. With her Aunt as her teacher, Kera was able to hold her magic for long periods of time without rest. If this didn't work, Kera would be forced to carry through with a decision that she didn't want to consider. There had to be a way to break Tristan down, all she had to do was keep his memories flowing and keep his fears in front of his eyes. Kera set to work looking for different memories she could attack, different emotions she could reveal. Finally finding one, Kera smiled pushing the new found dream to the surface.

**Part 4**

Tristan rolled over in his bed images flying through his mind. Sweat poured down his face as he screwed his eyes shut attempting to wash away all the memories that began to flood his mind. As if it were yesterday, Tristan watched his father die...

_"Any last words?"_

_"I'm sorry." His father stated._

_"Sorry for what!"_

_"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Tristan." His father said to him as he lowered his head and closed his eyes. _Buffy._ Was his final thought as his son took hold of a long gold sword that was attached to his hip. He swung the sword high, and brought the blade down._

Tristan's eyes snapped open. _This is ridiculous. What is wrong with me!_ Tristan refused to allow these memories to disrupt his work.

"You can't do this to me!" Tristan yelled. He went to the bathroom and picked up a glass on the counter, ran the water, and took a drink. If almost instantly, his head began to swirl. Images flooded his mind faster and faster. His eyes began to blur and he nearly lost his balance as he headed back to the bed. Sitting down, Tristan took hold of his head and place it between his knees.

"Tristan..." His mother's voice filled his head then radiated off the walls of the room. Looking up, Tristan saw something he never thought he would see again. Before him stood the shadows of his mother and father. As if they had never died, their hands held, Buffy and Angel looked upon their son with soft features.

"Tristan." Tristan's gaze never left the soft features of his mother's face. She smiled at him as he tried to blink them away.

"You aren't here. You're both dead. I killed you." He said opening and closing his eyes.

"No. You killed our bodies, but that doesn't mean you kill our spirit."

"We have always been with you son, you've just never looked for us." His father said to him. Tristan shook his head. This wasn't happening to him. He didn't want to remember.

"Go away." He demanded.

"No. You need to remember."

"NO! I don't need you and I don't need those memories." Tristan yelled as he stood and moved towards the window in his small room. Opening the window he allowed the cold night air to drift into the room and over his body. This was nothing but a trick, an allusion set up by his scheming sister. He turned around hoping that they were gone only to find them still standing by his bed with looks of sadness.

"Tristan please, let us help you. You wouldn't before, you can now. We want to help you get through this so that we can change the future and be a family." Buffy said to him. Her voice filled the room. Haunting his soul.

"No."

"Please, son. All we want is for this to be over. Let your sister help you. Let us change your future. Help us to destroy the Queen." His father pleaded. Tristan growled and moved towards the floating images of his parents. They were not here. He could walk right through them if he wanted. Pushing through the misting figures, Tristan went to the bathroom and picked up the glass of water again. Taking another drink, his mind swam. He looked down at the now empty glass and it finally clicked in his mind. The water, the glass. His sister did this to him. She was the one making them appear to him. Making his mind swim with images of his past. Breaking the glass in his hand, Tristan whirled on his parents.

"Kera did this to me."

"She is trying to help you."

"No! She is trying to kill me. The Queen told me." Tears welled in his mother's eyes as she heard him.

"She would never kill you. She can't. You are her brother. The Queen lies to you. Her whole mission in life and for you is based on a web of lies. We tried to tell you that. We tried to keep you from her, but you...you wouldn't listen to us." She said to him moving towards him. Tristan backed away from the figure and pushed his back into the corner of the room. Falling to the floor his screwed his eyes shut hoping that the effects of the drug he was slipped would ware off.

"You are not here. It is all in my head and in the creations my sister have sent to me." Tristan took hold of his knees and rocked against the wall mumbling an incantation the Queen had taught him to control his mind. Realizing what was happening Buffy knelt before her son hoping that she could try to reach him again.

"We will never leave you. You may be able to make our images disappear, but we will always be in you. Your mind and your spirit. You will never be alone. That I promise you." She said as she placed her ghostly hands on her sons face. Looking up into the eyes of his mother, Tristan allowed his tears to fall. For the first time in years, his mother looked at him with love in her eyes.

"Please. Please let her help you." Tristan shut his eyes and shook himself out of his ghostly mother's grip.

"No. Leave me alone!" Buffy's figure stood and moved back to her lover. Taking his hand she allowed her sorrow to fill the room. Leaning her head on his shoulder, Buffy and Angel disappeared from the room.

--

Kera opened her eyes breaking the magic. Smiling to herself, she blew out the candle. She knew that what she had done was unfair. Invading someone's memories was never something that a witch should do, but at the present, there was nothing more she could do. She knew that her brother would never change. There was no other way to save him but the way that was left. She had to either do what Wolfram & Hart did to Connor, by making him disappear or kill him. Putting her supplies away, Kera felt guilt pull at her mind.

"I'm sorry mother, you know this is the only way. I had to do it." Kera closed her eyes and focused on her mother's image. She saw sadness in her mother's face and pain play across her father's. There was only one chance for her to pull this off. That is where Tristan's memories came in. While he was distracting with the images of his parents and their death, Kera moved through his subconscious pulling at old memories of his childhood. There she had found the perfect time to make her plan a reality. There was nothing she could do in this time frame any longer. She would have to go to another time to make her plan a reality. All she needed was a few ingredients and a full moon. After that, Tristan's destructive path would finally come to and end.

--

Once his mother and father had disappeared, Tristan had gotten dressed and gone for a long run to clear his head. Why had his sister done this? Why had she brought their parents to him? There had to be an answer and there was only one person in the world who would be able to tell him. The Queen would know what his sister had done. All Tristan knew, was that there didn't seem to be a lot of time left. For now, his past family would have to wait, his new focus would be finding his sister and stopping her. Even if that meant her death...seemed fitting. He had killed their mother and father. Only seem right that his sister die by the same means. Tristan ran all the way to his Queen formulating a plan to end his sister forever.


	6. Chapter 6

**Immortal: the Virtual Series**  
Episode 3.6: Resurrection  
Written by the Main Slayer  
Airdate: August 30, 2006  
Episode rating: K+

**Part 1**

_Death is a funny thing. You think that when your time comes you are whisked away on a magic carpet ride up to the big guy in the sky. Well, maybe that is the way it is for humans, but for us vampires...it's a little more complicated. Because we have already died once and been damned to boot, we don't exactly get the carpet ride into the sky. So what happens to us? Basically this, we get staked or burned up by the oh holy sun, and then what's left of us is sent into limbo. You see there is this world between earth and "heaven" and this world is where all lost souls go. Those souls who are not allowed to enter "heaven" and those souls who are not good enough for the devil to have. Some call them Ghost Roads; some just call them a parallel universe...but whatever they are that is where we go. From there all we do is float around not actually feeling not actually knowing what is going on around you. Its actually one of the worst things you could image. Whoever decided to create this world should be the one to die because they have wicked sense of humor. Every couple of months, each "ghost" is allowed to look into the Waters of Yesterday. What this means is that we can see the people we left behind. Those people who we loved; those people we hated; or just to see human life passing on beneath us. So this happens and we see, we basically see what we are missing. So you may be thinking why would a vampire want to see people that he may have loved? Well its because the souls of the vampire that is up here, is the human one. Human soul, vampire soul it doesn't matter we are damned no matter what we do. You would be surprised who you see up here. You may see those people you thought had actually made it up to "heaven" but because they have unfinished business as it were, there are stuck here until they believe that their business is over._

_So, this is my story. I am stuck here. It is a bloody pain in my ass but I'm here. I hate looking down on those who are left there and watch the people I love be with other people who I hate. Funny thing about this limbo, there are always ways around them. I have found this way around it. I need to get out. I can't stay here anymore. So with the help of a few demonic figures, William the Bloody is coming home to play._

ROLE CREDITS

"Why is it that we are doing this in the first place my Queen?" A Beholder questioned. The Queen spun around and smiled at her subjects.

"We are having some problems getting rid of certain people. I am not pleased." The Queen glared at her people and then to Tristan who stood beside the throne, "I want that girl! I want to suck the life out of her so that she can not cause problems anymore. She is planning something and we need to stop her."

"I have done my best. I have turned the family against her. I have fought her. What more can I do to make you happy my Queen?" Tristan pleaded.

"I do not want to hear excuses. I want action!" The Queen moved forward and took hold of Tristan's neck and picked him up off the ground, "You have done nothing. She got to you! She used you to figure out when she could go and stop us from bringing you into my family. You are not doing your job." The Queen dropped Tristan and moved towards a large dish of water placed in the center of her home.

"Tell me what to do! I will kill them all if you command it! Tell me what you want from me!" Tristan pleaded with her standing up.

"We need a different angle. We need the past to destroy the future." Waving her hand over the pool, the water rippled reveling faces of the dead.

"What do you plan on doing?" A young Beholder asked her. The Queen smiled and raised her hands.

"We are going to bring the past to life. Please, stand around the bowl. Tristan you too." Everyone in the hall moved towards the alter and stood in a circle. Tristan stood by the Queen's right. Clasping hands the Queen rose her voice.

"We are your servants. I beseech you, grant my request. Bring me the ones that can destroy thine enemy. With the power of the Beholders, grant my request." The air around them went cold, and Tristan found it hard to breathe. A white mist rose around them as the outline of the Queen glowed. Shaking the Queen opened her eyes and placed her hands over the pool.

"Rise and help me destroy thine enemy." Fear gripped Tristan as a white light enveloped the room.

--

_I knew that my death would be a challenge. But I didn't think I would die three times. I never knew that when I was on my death bed that my life would end up this way. A lot has happened to me in my four hundred plus year life, but I think I made the most of it. Its strange you know, wandering around up here. You meet the strangest people..._

_Death is only another version of life. Another way for me to continue to cause problems for the people around me. I was once a great lord; feared and loathed by many...and here I am up here wandering around as if my history meant nothing. If it wasn't for that Slayer bitch I would still be walking the earth...more than that I would be in control of every humans pathetic existence. I swear, if I ever get out of here she will have to deal with me..._

--

When the light cleared, three figures stood in the center of their circle. Releasing hands, the circle broke and the Queen moved towards them.

"Welcome back." Before her stood the three vampires that would make the Slayer's life hell: The Master, Darla, and Spike.

**Part 2**

Buffy ran around the penthouse trying to get everything that she needed. It had been a long time since she had gone out. She had to make sure that all the phone numbers for the twins was ready and all their formula, everything that they needed. It would be the first time since they were born that Buffy would leave them alone. Well, not completely alone. She trusted her step-son and Faith but she was a new mom and didn't want to leave her children.

"Buffy! We are going to be late if you take any longer." Angel yelled from the living room. Buffy looked at herself in the mirror one more time and frowned. She was finding it incredibly hard to lose the baby weight she had gained during her pregnancy. Angel liked to see her more curvy but for her, it was a change that was taking some time to get used too. Her breasts had gotten so big that she had to replace every bra in her wardrobe. She had always been small, and now she had these boobs that she didn't know what to do with. For her evening out, Buffy had chosen a simple black dress that fell mid-calf. The top cut into a deep V in both the front and the back and Buffy had to rearrange the top so that she didn't fall out of the top. She wore her cross that Angel had given her on the first night they met and earrings her mother had given her on her sixteenth birthday. She wore her hair straight and her make-up was simple yet sultry. She hoped that this would be enough to make Angel weak in the knees. Sighing Buffy left the bedroom to see her fiancé waiting for her.

Angel smiled when Buffy entered the room. She looked so classy in her simply black dress. He almost felt like he was underdressed in his black dress pants, red shirt and leather coat. Angel took Buffy's hand and spun her around.

"You look amazing." He said.

"You are a terrible liar, but a sweet liar." Buffy kissed him and turned to face Connor and Faith, "Okay so I left you all the emergency numbers and our cell numbers if anything should go wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong. Just enjoy yourself and do me a favour." Faith said.

"What's that?" Buffy asked as Angel helped her into her coat.

"Don't come home." Faith winked at her and with Connor's help pushed them out of the penthouse. Shutting the door in their face, Buffy took Angel's hand and together they walked out of the building.

--

Together, the vampires walked the streets of New York. It felt really good to be alive again. To feel the wind blow; to hear the sounds of car horns honking and the night animals howling. Spike never realized how much he actually missed it. To his right was Darla, Angel's sire, and to the left was the Master and the young man charged to them, Tristan. Spike, Darla and the Master had been given their instructions and only knew what they were told. All this Queen wanted was for Angel to be eliminated. That wasn't going to be hard. The Master hated him for taking Darla from him; Darla hated him for making her kill herself and Spike hated him for obvious reasons. This would be a piece of cake to pull off. The Queen had told them that for the first time since the birth of their children Buffy and Angel had decided to go out to dinner. All it would take was to get Angel when Buffy became so worried about the children that she had to go and phone them. From there it would be easy, make Angel see Spike, lead him outside and take him together. So what where they getting out of this? According to the Queen the only way to make the spell permanent was to kill the one person who connected them all: Angel. They were all connected through Buffy too, but there was more she was supposed to do. It wasn't her time, but it was Angel's. Approaching the restaurant Spike watched as Angel helped Buffy out of the car and handed the keys to the young guy standing outside the door to the restaurant. Smiling to himself he stopped the group and turned to the kid.

"This is it. Are you sure we can't mess around with the others too?" He asked. Tristan shook his head.

"No. We need to kill him now. You will have several Beholders at your disposal when you bring him out here. Just get rid of him."

"You really want your father dead. What did he do to you?" Darla asked.

"Long story..also, none of your business. Just do it." Tristan walked away from them and positioned himself behind some trees so that when Angel came out he would not see him.

"I'm hungry." the Master stated, hunger blazing in the yellow of his eyes.

"Once this is over, we can feed all we want." Darla said to him. The Master laughed and smiled as his moment over the Slayer would finally come to be.

"Our time is upon us. I will finally have my revenge."

"So are we playing by the rules?" Spike asked. Darla gave him wicked smile.

"Never." Spike smiled back and turned back to face the open door. This would be fun.

**Part 3**

Sitting across from him, Buffy smiled at Angel. It was nice to be out alone together. It had been a long time since they had any time alone. It was like she was in high school again. Angel held her hand from across the table. He had flowers waiting for her and Champaign on ice. He had even pulled out her chair for her. It was more than she could have asked for. So they sat together hand in hand smiling and laughing talking about old times. There was never anything better than this moment. Buffy took her hand off the table and looked at the time on her cell phone. Angel tilted his head and laughed.

"Buffy, leave it alone. They are fine."

"I know," Buffy said, "I'm just worried that is all."

"I don't think Connor would ever let anything happen to his sister and brother. Neither would Faith. They love them just as much as we do." Angel said as he signaled for the waiter.

"I know. You have to admit you are worried too. We have never been without them for this long. I can't help it...now I know how my own mother must have felt when I did the things that I did...remind me to make sure there are locks on windows when they are older." Angel laughed and took her hand again.

"Locks on windows?"

"You know what I did when I was sixteen. I snuck out of my room, I got kicked out of school, and cause more problems than I could have ever imagined."

"You were also the Slayer."

"True, but still. Anyway, I know they are fine...but I worry."

"I do too," Angel replied, "but we deserve this night. Enjoy it." Buffy smiled and allowed Angel to order their dinner. To make the evening more romantic, Angel had decided on a French restaurant. Buffy had never been good in French but Angel liked to show off. Dinner came within fifteen minutes and was amazing. Buffy had never had dinner so good. After dinner Angel order some desert and they continued to talk about their future.

"So I was thinking that we could have an outdoor wedding." Buffy said. Angel looked up from his cup of coffee and smiled.

"I hope you don't want to host this during the day, or you may be a widow before you are a wife." Angel replied.

"No, night. Or just after sunset. That way we can do this outside. I'm not sure if we should use a priest or just a Justice of the Peace. I think the JoP because I don't know if a priest is going to marry a vampire to a human." Buffy said taking another sip of her tea.

"True. So Justice. It works for me."

"I thought about some colours, maybe you could give me your input?"

"Sure."

"Okay, so I was thinking either soft colours like pale pinks, purples, blues or black, red and white. I know you love red and black and white is for the traditional dress...so I thought it would be nice colour scheme. Plus red roses are my favourite."

"I like whatever you like." Angel said. Buffy put her cup down and gave him a don't-do-that look.

"Come on, you have to give me your honest opinion."

"I like them. So long as they are not tacky, as Dawn would say, then I am happy with anything." Angel replied.

"Okay. So if we do the colours I was thinking of making all the colours as part of my bouquet, the bridesmaids in the lavender and then have blue and white as the colours at the reception. If we go with the black, red and white, then the dresses would be red and the colours of the reception would be the red, black and white with my dress the only white one." Buffy stopped to watch Angel smile at her, "What?"

"Nothing. You have really thought about this."

"Yes, we are getting married this year you know."

"I know."

"Anyway, that is where I am so far. What kind of cake do you want?" The waiter came up to the table and put the bill down. Angel put his credit card down and the waiter walked away. When the waiter came back Angel stood and picked up Buffy coat. Helping her into his coat he asked for his car.

"Well, that was a nice night. Home?"

"No."

"No?"

"Faith told us not to come home. I don't intend to." Buffy took hold of Angel's arm and walked out of the restaurant with him. Holding the car door open, Buffy got into the car as Angel shut the door. Getting in himself, Angel started the car and put it into gear. Looking out the window, Buffy thought that she saw something that was more than impossible to see...Spike's face in the shadows. Shaking her head, Buffy smiled at Angel and allowed him to take her on their next adventure.

--

Spike and Darla watched as the car drove away. Turning to him, Darla glared.

"Why did we wait?"

"Because," Spike said, "we must wait for the opportune moment. Now is not that moment. We need to catch him off guard. Right now, he is on his guard. There is no way to kill Angel...we know that one. We will get him. That I promise you." Spike watched the headlights stop at the red light. Stepping out from behind the bush, he opened the door to a taxi nearby. All three vampires got into the car and shut the door.

"Follow that car. And be discreet." They handed the driver a large sum of money and he nodded. The car started and they were soon following the Benz towards the New York pier.

--

_Okay, we need a quick moment to recap the situation. I understand that a lot of people don't like us vampires for obvious reasons, but you have to admit what that bugger did to me is more than enough reason for killing him! I mean come on, I loved her and he had to brainwash her and turn her against me so that she would pick him over me! I hate that bastard more than anyone could imagine, but the stupid part is, and what that bitch of a queen didn't realize, was that I have a soul now. We all know this, its is a common knowledge. So please, if any of you really think that I have the guts to kill the one vampire who gave a lick about me in the past over some girl you are sorely mistaken. This is all for show...I am telling the truth...actually I'm not. Vampires are funny that way...we tend to lie out our asses. To kill him or not to kill him, that is the question. Not to mention the motives of that bloody queen (who by the way thinks she is all high and mighty on her throne). I don't believe for one second that killing Angel is part of her plan. She has other motives. Maybe we are simply the distraction? Who knows, all I know is I'm doing what I'm told and getting paid to do it. Not that it will do me much good considering we only have 48 hours to live anyway and then its back to the shadow land we go. I think I might kill my counterparts...maybe that bloody child too. Might be fun. Anyway, I suppose we should go back to the story shouldn't we..._

--

Faith twisted around in her seat trying to refocus her eyes on the TV. They had put the twins to bed right after Buffy and Angel had left and decided that they would watch a movie to kill time. Faith wanted to do other things but Connor said he refused to do anything in front of the twins. Understandable but damn she was horny. Looking over she saw that Connor was asleep and decided that now was the perfect time to go for her long awaited smoke break. She knew that Connor hated her awful habit, but when she was in prison, she kind of got hooked on it. Stepping out on the balcony she lit up and leaned over the edge of the deck. Look out at the stars, a light breeze swept over her and she shivered. Refocusing her eyes she looked out at the park below them and thought that there was movement. Shifting her focus, she narrowed her eyes and opened her mind up. Slayer thing, Faith then realized that there was someone down there and it was that young girl, Kari. Putting her smoke out she went back inside, grabbed her coat and quietly left the penthouse. Running down hall, she chose the stairs over the elevator and ran down them faster than anyone else could. Pushing the exit open she ran across the street and entered the darkness of the park. Slowing her pace she opened her mind and allowed all the sounds of the night envelope her body. Hearing a branch crack, Faith turned and found herself face to face with Kari. Holding her arms up, Kari stopped.

"Wait, please."

"Why should I? We have been told some interesting things about you." Faith put her arm behind her back and took hold of the knife she always carried.

"I know. Please, will you let me talk? Before you decide to kill me?" Faith looked her over and tired to see if anything was concealed in her coat. Sensing what Faith was doing Kari stripped off her coat and put it on the ground.

"See, nothing." Faith brought her arm back out and folded her arms.

"Talk." Kari moved away from her coat and sat down on a bench to her left. Faith moved towards her too and sat next too her making sure to keep her distance.

"What I'm about to tell you, you need to keep to yourself. You are the only person that I can trust, you always were the only one, other than mother and father." Faith knitted her brows and relaxed a little.

"What are you talking about?" Faith asked. Kari took a breath and put her hands between her legs to keep them warm.

"My name isn't Kari," She looked at Faith to try and find some kind of security there, it was smiling she took another breath, "My name is Kera. I am Buffy and Angel's daughter, from the future." Shock registered on Faith's face as she attempted to process what she had just been told.

**Part 4**

"What? Is this some kind of sick joke?" Faith wasn't sure that what she was being told was the truth but there was something in her face as she looked at her. There was fear, fear that she wouldn't be believed, that she would be alone; Faith knew that look all too well, it was the look she had before she had even met Buffy.

"No joke. I swear I'm telling you the truth. I have a birth mark on my right hip. So does Tristan, but his is on his left. It is in the shape of a crescent moon." Kera stood up and pushed her pants down so she could show Faith the mark. Faith's eyes widened. It was there, just like baby Kera's. Faith ran her finger over the mark to see if it would come off, but it didn't.

"You're not lying are you?" She questioned.

"Why would I?"

"You have been for a while." Faith stated as Kera sat down.

"I know. It was necessary."

"Why are you here? How are you here?" Faith asked her.

"I can't tell you everything. I am here to save my family. The young man that told you everything about me making me the bad guy is actually Tristan." Faith couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Tristan? Baby Tristan?"

"Yes but he is not a baby and he is not good either. Tristan is more than evil."

"But, Buffy and Angel averted that prophecy." Faith stated. Kera smiled and looked down.

"You of all people should know that you can't truly avert a prophecy." Faith smiled. It was true, prophecies happened whether they were wanted or not.

"So, he does go evil, like they said?"

"Yes, but it takes effort. You see, the Queen didn't realize that she was going after the wrong sibling. It is her who turns Tristan. With great effort of course, but she manages it. Tristan is why I am here. I need to save the baby in order to save his future. But, unfortunately Tristan has more than stopped that one. I can't get near him now, because has told all these lies," Standing Kera began to pace to keep warm, "By now, the Queen knows its me she needs not Tristan, she is just using him until she doesn't need him."

"Do you think she will kill him?"

"That would do some justice now wouldn't it," Kera laughed, "Tristan has murdered more people than you can imagine. He was always meant to be evil, but there was just no way to stop it. Kind of happens when your father is a vampire." Noticing how cold she was Faith stood and retrieved her coat, handing it to her, Faith sat down again. Kera put her coat on and smiled.

"Thanks."

"So, what happened? You still haven't really told me what's going on."

"Father, Angel, sent me here. He sent me to save Tristan. We were hoping that if we could save baby Tristan that we could save future Tristan...and our family. But, it doesn't look like that is going to work." Sitting down Kera wiped a tear from her face.

"Why not?"

"The one chance I had with the baby showed me more than you think. There is heavy magic guarding him. I am not experienced enough to get through it. Aunt Willow gave me the spell that I need to perform, but there is something guarding him. I think it might be the Queen, or other external forces. Like I said, he is meant to be evil."

"Why are you telling me this! You should tell Buffy." Shaking her head Kera looked on her Aunt.

"I can't. They won't believe me."

"Why not?"

"Because they have been touched by the Queen's magic. The only way that they believe Tristan is because he uses magic. When the Queen turned him, she infused herself with him. He has all the power she does...she is the one really manipulating them."

"Why me then?"

"Because she can't get to everyone. Tristan never liked you. He always stayed away from you when you came to visit. You always saw through his crap...mom and dad, they were blind. By the time they listened, it was too late. I could always trust you with everything." Faith smiled. It was good to know that someone in the world trusted her more than anything.

"So better reason to put the mojo on me right?"

"You would think, but even to this day, Tristan hates you. That is why he didn't kill you like he did..." Kera broke off and lowered her head again. Faith looked at her niece and put her hand on her shoulder.

"He killed Buffy didn't he?" She stated simply. Kera looked at her with tears filling her eyes, "Unreal. What about Angel?" Wiping them Kera looked at her Aunt.

"I left before I knew what happened. When I tried to contact him, he wasn't there. I think...no, I know...Tristan killed him too. He always threatened he would kill them both one day." Kera moved away from her Aunt. Faith couldn't believe what she was hearing. The little baby in the baby room of her best friend was standing right in front of her.

"This, this is like something out of the Twilight Zone." Faith stated simply.

"Tell me about it. If I had known my life would turn out this way, I think I might have signed up for a different one." Faith laughed. Kera smiled. It had been a while since she smiled.

"So what's next then?" Faith asked. Kera looked at her in disbelief.

"You actually believe me?"

"Why not?"

"I don't know, if I had some crazy teenager come up to me to tell me all this I might think she is crazy." Kera said.

"Look, I do think you are crazy. But, in my life and line of work, you could be telling me the truth. So, I suppose I have to give you a chance. First, tell me something about myself that only Kera would know...even though she is a baby right now." Faith folded her arms across her chest and waited.

"Your birthmark for example...or my mother's. Yours is behind you right knee; if you look really closely you can see that it is in the shape of a heart. Mom's...well, I think dad is the only one that has really seen that one." Faith laughed. True enough.

"All right. Tell me what we need to do and you have my help." Faith stated as she stood up.

"I don't know. We have to stop Tristan. If we don't he is going to kill more people." Kera zipped up her coat and started to walk back to the penthouse with Faith.

"I think we should tell Connor. He might be willing to buy your story and help out." Faith said. As the two walked back to the apartment a shot rang out piercing through the sounds of traffic. Both girls stopped suddenly.

"Where did that come from?" Kera asked. Faith's face went white. Breaking into a run, she tore out of the park and ran across the street causing horns to honk and blare. Kera followed her Aunt dogging between cars and listening to blaring horns. She caught up with Faith as she flew up the staircase taking them three at a time. Kera knew that she couldn't move that fast. Moving away from the stairs she hit the elevator button and walked in. Faith moved faster than she had ever moved before. The only though running through her mind was that she was sure the shot came from the penthouse. _Connor._ Faith's mind moved back to the dream she'd had. Faith burst through the top door as the elevator door chimed and opened. Kera stepped off and headed to the penthouse door. The door was ajar. Faith held Kera back and moved into the penthouse first. The hallway table had been knocked in front of the door. Slowly moving it out of the way Faith entered the room to find the TV on but Connor not in the room. The lamp across the hall was knocked over and the kitchen chair was knocked on its side. There had been a struggle. Faith then hear a cry emit from the baby's room. Faith motioned for Kera to enter the room noticing that no one was around.

"Whoever was here is gone now. Go to the baby's room and check on them. Now." Faith moved into the living room to check the balcony door. It was open and night wind was blowing the curtains into the room. Stepping onto the balcony Faith noticed that there was no movement and no one on the deck. Satisfied Faith turned to go back into the room when she heard Kera cry.

"Faith! Get in here now!" Faith ran to the baby's room and halted in her steps, frozen. Lying on the floor was Connor. Blood surrounded him as he fought to breathe. Kera was kneeling beside him holding his head up. Tears fell down her face as she tried to keep him awake.

"Connor! Please! It's me, Kera. I know you know its me. I know you do, please don't die!" She turned to Faith and noticed that she had fallen to her knees. Her eyes were glassed over as if she wasn't even registering that she was there.

"Faith! Faith!"

"Huh?"

"You need to call 9-1-1 now!" Reaching into her pocket, Faith took out her cell phone and dialed. Her world was moving in slow motion, she could barely hit the numbers. Sitting on the floor she held the phone in her hand.

"9-1-1, how can we help?" Faith didn't even put the phone to her ear. Kera moved towards her slowly and took the phone.

"Faith, please. Give me the phone, go to Connor. Hold his head up. Faith? Can you hear me?" Faith looked up at her as tears fell down her face. She nodded her head and moved towards Connor lying on the floor. The cries from the baby filled the room but noise didn't register with Faith's mind. Kera put the phone to her ear and told the operator all the information needed. She then tried to call her mother's cell phone but got not answer. Faith held Connor's head and took his hand.

"No. This is not happening. Connor, Connor, please answer me." Faith gripped the wound where it appeared Connor had been shot. Connor spat and tried to breathe. Faith allowed her tears to fall down her face as she held Connor. Kera stood and looked in the cribs, what she saw caught her breath.

"Faith," She bent over to pick up her baby brother and turned to see Faith looking at her with hatred in her eyes, "There is only one. I'm gone, I mean, baby Kera she's gone." Faith looked away from Kera and then back down at her lover...hatred and anger coursed through her body as she internally vowed to kill whoever did this; kill whoever brought about the end of her happiness.

**To be continued...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Immortal: the Virtual Series  
**Episode 3.7: And Then There Was One  
Written by the Main Slayer  
Rating: K+

**Previously on Immortal:**

Faith moved into the living room to check the balcony door. It was open and night wind was blowing the curtains into the room. Stepping onto the balcony Faith noticed that there was no movement and no one on the deck. Satisfied Faith turned to go back into the room when she heard Kera cry.

"Faith! Get in here now!" Faith ran to the baby's room and halted in her steps, frozen. Lying on the floor was Connor. Blood surrounded him as he fought to breathe. Kera was kneeling beside him holding his head up. Tears fell down her face as she tried to keep him awake.

"Connor! Please! It's me, Kera. I know you know its me. I know you do, please don't die!" She turned to Faith and noticed that she had fallen to her knees. Her eyes were glassed over as if she wasn't even registering that she was there.

"Faith! Faith!"

"Huh?"

"You need to call 9-1-1 now!" Reaching into her pocket, Faith took out her cell phone and dialed. Her world was moving in slow motion, she could barely hit the numbers. Sitting on the floor she held the phone in her hand.

"9-1-1, how can we help?" Faith didn't even put the phone to her ear. Kera moved towards her slowly and took the phone.

"Faith, please. Give me the phone, go to Connor. Hold his head up. Faith? Can you hear me?" Faith looked up at her as tears fell down her face. She nodded her head and moved towards Connor lying on the floor. The cries from the baby filled the room but noise didn't register with Faith's mind. Kera put the phone to her ear and told the operator all the information needed. She then tried to call her mother's cell phone but got not answer. Faith held Connor's head and took his hand.

"No. This is not happening. Connor, Connor, please answer me." Faith gripped the wound where it appeared Connor had been shot. Connor spat and tried to breathe. Faith allowed her tears to fall down her face as she held Connor. Kera stood and looked in the cribs, what she saw caught her breath.

"Faith," She bent over to pick up her baby brother and turned to see Faith looking at her with hatred in her eyes, "There is only one. I'm gone, I mean, baby Kera she's gone." Faith looked away from Kera and then back down at her lover...hatred and anger coursed through her body as she internally vowed to kill whoever did this; kill whoever brought about the end of her happiness.

CREDITS ROLE Part 1 

Sirens wailed in the distance as Kera cradled Connor's head. She looked towards Faith who sat alone in the dark corner of the nursery. Kera knew that they had to get out and find the baby. The Queen was up to something and Kera was sure that by now she had figured out the Tristan was no longer the key to unfolding her plans. She looked down to her brother and noticed that his eyes had closed. Touching his face, she spoke softly at him and told him to wake up. His eyes opened and he smiled at her. No matter what, siblings knew each other. Turning her attention back to the broken Slayer, Kera called her name.

"Faith?" Nothing. "Faith?" Still nothing. Kera gently put Connor's head down and moved towards her. Touching her arm, Kera looked at her aunt.

"Faith, please. I have to go. If they find me here…you have to take care of Connor before the ambulance arrives. Faith, please can you hear me?" Faith looked up and nodded slowly.

"Go." She stated simply. Kera took hold of her face.

"Faith, are you here?"

"Go." She said again simply. Kera stood and moved back to her brother. Whispering to him that the ambulance would be there soon, she moved towards the window of the nursery. Taking one last look around, she leapt out the window in search of her baby self. Faith sat silently in the corner listening for the sirens. She knew there were coming. She had heard them a long time ago. She listened to the baby cry, she knew that she should get him but she couldn't bring herself to stand. And so Tristan wailed, and Connor chocked. When the ambulance arrived, Faith remained in the corner as they worked on Connor. A woman officer came up to her and asked her what her name was.

"Faith." _How are you related?_

"He's my boyfriend." _And the baby?_

"He's my nephew." _Where are his parents?_

"Out." Faith wasn't sure what was happening but they peeled her off the floor and moved her towards the door with Connor on a stretcher. The baby was picked up and taken as well. The officer was explaining that they were going to the hospital to have everyone checked out and so that Connor could get the help he needed. Faith nodded slowly and moved with the attendants.

--

All right, so you are probably wondering what happened. Truth is, all the plans that were laid out seemed so simple. Kill Angel, walk away, and move on. But then that stupid git had to go all Joe-independent and change the game. So, with that idiot going half cocked and us left in the dark, there only seemed to be one logical solution. Switch sides. See this is what evil bad guys do. Change our minds from one side to the other depending on which side suits our benefit. Tristan wasn't cutting it for us. Of course he doesn't know this, and neither does the Master, but then really would include him in any plans anyway? So, lets just go back a little, and I'll show you what I mean…

Buffy and Angel walked along the docks with a full moon above their head. Angel wasn't able to shake the feeling that they were being followed from the restaurant. He was trying to ignore it but the feeling continued to grow. Looking over his shoulder, Angel thought he saw two shadows following along the docks. Stopping, Angel watched. Buffy turned her head and looked at him.

"Something wrong?"

"Hmmm," Angel asked looking towards her, "Nothing."

"That is not nothing." Angel leaned against the wharf railing, "I thought I saw something."

"What?"

"I have this feeling we are being followed." Buffy turned her head in the direction Angel was looking.

"I don't see anything."

"It's a feeling." Angel said looking again.

"What kind of feeling?" Buffy asked.

"You are going to think I'm crazy." He said lowering his head.

"Try me." Angel sighed and looked at her.

"Okay, when you are turned into a vampire you get this emotional connection with the vampire that sires you. That connection either strengthens or weakens depending on how much time, physical time, you spend with them. I just have this feeling that Darla is following us, and that she is here. Crazy right?"

"Yes, considering she is dead."

"I know. But I can't shake it." Buffy took Angel's arm and pulled him away from the railing. She started walking with him and laughed to herself.

"What is so funny?" He asked her.

"Nothing, promise." The continued to walk down the wharf enjoying the night air when a figure jumped in front of them. Buffy froze as she stared into the face of vampire she killed almost ten years ago. The Master struck Angel sending him flying across the dock. Buffy's legs couldn't move; she tried to force her legs to respond, but they stood still. The Master approached her and brought his hand up to her neck when pain struck his face. Before her eyes the Master vanished in a cloud of dust. Standing behind him, was Spike. Buffy stared in disbelief as her ex looked back. Before Buffy could say a word, another joined them: Darla.

"What is going on?" Angel demanded, shell-shocked looking into the eyes of his sire. Spike held onto the stake, his grip tightening.

"Nice to see you too."

"It's not." Angel replied.

"Oh come on, you didn't miss me?" Spike's hand hurt from holding the stake that he refused to drop.

"Hardly, I actually enjoy the peace and quiet now."

"I'm sure you do." Spike said. Darla waited as the two vampires stared at each other. Buffy looked from one to the other and decided that she had waited long enough to ask her questions:

"Why did you kill the Master?" Spike turned his head and looked at her.

"Felt like it. He is a windbag anyway. All he wanted to do was kill you, which of course I would never have allowed. Besides, always wanted to do it myself." Buffy squared her shoulders.

"What are you doing here, and how are you here?"

"That is a lot more complicated than you think."

"Enlighten us." Buffy replied. Spike faced Angel again disregarding Buffy's question.

"Look, we really don't have a lot of time for this crap. There are only few things I can tell you before this is all over. We were sent to kill you, Angel."

"And you're not going to?" Angel asked.

"No." Darla stated simply.

"Why not?"

"Because our motives are different. We are here to warn you, nothing more."

"Warn us about what?" Buffy asked.

"Is there somewhere we can go to talk more privately?" Spike asked. Angel looked at Buffy and the same thought jumped into their heads.

"Our house."

--

Kera was in shock. She wasn't sure what had just happened all she knew is that she was running through Central Park with tears streaming down her face. This wasn't supposed to happen! What happened! She could hardly see as the tears fell down her face for her brother. No one was supposed to get hurt. Especially her family. Connor was supposed to grow old, he was supposed to be a dad, and he was supposed to live for her. He might die and it's all my fault. Kera thought as she came to a halt. Sitting down, she allowed herself to cry. She knew that her brother was behind this; she knew that he had waited to get the other baby. There was no other explanation, but why would he hurt Connor? He had loved his older brother. Kera looked up at the night sky and closed her eyes. She had to find her brother and herself. She had to get it together and save her baby self. Tristan has to be stopped. Kera stood and began to run again. Her aunt Willow had told her when she was really young that she and her brother had a special connection. That because they were special they could read each other's thoughts. All they had to do was open their minds and think of each other and they would connect. Kera knew it was risky, but if she didn't find herself, then it would be too late and Tristan would win. She would never be able to stop him. Slowing her breathing, but never breaking stride, Kera closed her mind off to the world around her and focused on her brother. Images began to swirl in her mind.

Dark shadows. A tall building, run down and vine covered. A glowing light in the upper landing. A large door opening and creaking shut. The night sky seemed to have no stars as a dark figure looked around it. Tristan and the baby. Closing the large door behind him, he entered the abandoned building. The light seemed to emit a low glow on the large open space in front of him. He walked to the large staircase and walked up the never ending flight of stairs. At the top of the landing there was a room. The room with the light; Tristan entered and placed the sleeping baby in the cradle. Sitting on his bed, Tristan closed his eyes, and thought of his sister…

Kera broke her connection and stopped. She knew where he was. Changing her direction she headed across town and continued onto 5th Avenue. Kera knew that if she didn't get to Tristan first, Faith would without a doubt be there. Kera burst into her hotel room and packed up some supplies to help take out her brother. The twin swords their parents had given them would no doubt be the best method to fight her brother. Her mirror, it would be the only way to reach her brother should anything happen. And finally, her gold pendent. Kera hoped that she wouldn't have to use it, but if there was no other way she would. Racing to her front door, she opened it and was ready to leave her house when a sound came from the large standing mirror sitting in the corner.

"Kera." The voice whispered. Kera moved to the frame and pulled the blanket off. Willow stood before her, white hair pulled up off her face and deep cuts on her cheeks.

"What is happening!" Willow demanded.

"Nothing, nothing I promise. I'm handling it."

"Something is happening because Connor is dead! He is just gone. What have you done?"

"I didn't do anything, it was Tristan. He shot him." Willow lowered her head and red appeared in the background.

"You have to save her."

"Her?"

"Faith, if you don't do something we could lose her forever. Don't let her get to Tristan before you. Do you understand me? If she kills your brother, we will lose her." Kera looked at her aunt and put a hand to the mirror.

"I promise. I won't let Faith near Tristan. Tell me how I can fix this?" Kera pleaded.

"There is nothing we can do to change the past now."

"But what I'm doing is supposed to change! I cam here to change the past, why can't I save Connor!" Willow's heart went out to her niece.

"That is up to fate to decide."

"But you just said he was dead!" Kera demanded.

"I know what I said, but things can still change. If Faith stays with Connor, if he fights. If he doesn't, we will lose him," Willow looked into Kera's face and said sternly, "you need Buffy and Angel. You need to tell them who you are and who Tristan is. Before its all too late."

"I can't. I thought we weren't allowed to do that."

"This is important. To save the future of two people, we need to tell them."

"They won't believe me."

"They will." Images of Connor floated into her head and anger welled inside her. Kera lifted her head and Willow saw the raw anger and rage pouring from her.

"I don't have time for this. I need to get to Tristan. Willow this has to end, before anyone else gets hurt. I'll talk to you when it's done."

"Kera! Please listen to me, you need to go to your mother and father!" But Kera was already out the door and heading out into the dark to find her brother.

**-End of Part 1-**

**-Part 2-**

Faith stood in her hospital room. She hadn't sat down since she arrived at the hospital. The attendants told her she needed rest, however, rest was the last thing on her mind. They hadn't told her anything about the condition Connor was in. All she knew was that he was in surgery and they would tell her as soon as he was out. Faith began to pace the room; running her hands through her hair Faith allowed her anger and rage to fill her body. She hadn't felt this way in years. The last time she felt this much anger was right after she committed her first murder:

1999

In her tiny apartment Faith paced. In her mind she replayed the nights events over and over. It had been dark, there wasn't much light coming from the alleyway. Buffy had been behind her the whole time; when a vampire jumped them, Faith reacted. The shadows hid his face, he took hold of Buffy's shoulder and she pushed him forward. Faith had raised the stake and struck. There had been a wet sound and then the body had fallen down the dumpster: 'Faith, no!' Buffy had yelled. The body hit the ground and he had looked up at them in disbelief. He had moved his hands a couple of times; Buffy knelt beside him and told her they needed to get help. Faith kept saying: 'I didn't know.' He had died and Faith reacted taking Buffy and herself away from the situation. She had gone back after they had left and disposed of the body in the river. She had hoped no one would find it. But now they had and the police were asking questions. Buffy was asking questions. The best way to deal with this situation was to pretend it never happened. She was the Slayer this was part of her job; what had they expected? She is a killer…she is a killer. Rage filled Faith as she thought of all the people who would blame her and not Buffy. Buffy had been there; this was her fault too. Faith paced faster and her rage grew until she slammed her fist into the apartment wall. Extracting her hand she saw blood and wood splinters. Faith walked to the bathroom and washed her hand removing any wood. It was at that moment, that she had decided to become part of the mayor's team. She knew that her 'friends' wouldn't understand. All she had to do was destroy Buffy before she left…

And now Faith was hatching a new plan. One that would involve killing the person who had destroyed her happy life. She had finally found something with Connor; something she had never had with any other man in her life. It was hard for her to connect with me, and now she was about to lose the one person who loved her more than anything in the world. Not two weeks ago Connor had brought up a very serious question…

"Hey you." He had said when they were sitting on the couch watching one of their favourite shows. Faith looked at him and smiled.

"Hey yourself." Faith kissed him. With Connor it wasn't just about sex it was about something else, something she had never felt before. At times it scared her but she knew that Connor was a good person and would never hurt her.

"I have a question for you."

"Shoot." Faith said. Connor sat her up and took her hands in his. Faith had butterflies in her stomach as she saw something in Connor's eyes she had never seen before.

"I love you." Faith looked at him quizzically.

"That is not a question. That is a statement." Connor laughed.

"I know its not a question, I love you." He repeated. Faith smiled and looked down at their hands. She looked up again and saw that he really did love her.

"I think I love you too." Connor kissed her lightly and pulled away.

"Marry me, Faith." He stated simply. Faith looked at him as if he had hit her.

"What? Are you crazy? You don't want to marry me, you are just saying that cause of what Buffy and Angel are going through right now." She looked away from him removing her hands from his and sat back on the couch. Connor moved closer and put his arm around her slender shoulders.

"No, I'm not, marry me…someday in the future." Faith looked back at him.

"Connor, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, just keep it in mind that I may ask that someday in the future. And then when I ask for real, that I would like an answer." Connor sat back and Faith looked at his profile, she thought for only a second. She already knew that she would say yes…

Tears were falling down Faith's face now. She stopped pacing and pure rage engulfed her body. She was about to lose this man; this man who loved her and wanted to marry her. Faith would end this; it was time for her old ways to take over. Faith went to her room door and pulled it open breaking the lock the doctor had put on it.

"Hey!" A nurse yelled, Faith ignored her and went to the desk she took the phone out of the nurse's ear and slammed it down.

"You are going to call this number. Tell Angel that his son is here and that I have gone to take care of some business. Tell them not to worry."

"I'm not a messaging service…"

"I don't care. Do it." Faith walked away leaving the number and left the hospital. She stepped out into the moonlight and headed back for her and Connor's apartment. She needed supplies and then she would go to the one person who knew were Tristan was hiding.

--

As Buffy, Angel and the newly discovered Spike and Darla rounded the corner leading to the penthouse, lights flooded the street. Lights that Buffy and Angel didn't want to see: red and blue. Buffy looked at Angel with concern and together they bolted for their home. Police cruisers littered the sidewalk to their home. Racing behind them, Darla and Spike attempted to keep up. Angel made it to the entrance first and found his boss. Turning around, John Wakes saw Angel and motioned for them to join him.

"Angel, Buffy."

"What the hell is going on?" John put a hand on Angel's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. Air caught in Buffy's throat as she waited for an explanation.

"There was a shooting." Disbelief played across Angel's face.

"What? How? Which unit?"

"Yours." Buffy stepped back and hit Spike. Turning around she saw concern in his eyes. For a split second she wanted to hug him, then thought better moving back towards Angel and putting a hand on his arm.

"What? How is that possible. Connor was up there with Faith, they were babysitting the twins." Buffy's mind raced with the idea that one of her family members was hurt. That her babies weren't safe.

"Connor's been shot. Best I can think, kidnapping gone wrong."

"Kidnapping!" Buffy shouted. John faced her and braced himself for telling her the truth.

"Yes, Kera is gone. Tristan is at the hospital with Connor and Faith." Buffy's mind swam, her head felt light as she nearly fainted. Spike caught her as he saw anger flare in Angel's eyes. Darla stood silent as she thought of a reunion she might never have.

"Faith was there, this is not possible. No one can beat her. I don't understand, how could this happen in my home?" John started talking again but all Angel could think about was his children. Turning away from his boss Angel stormed to his car and got in. Spike helped Buffy to the car and Darla followed. They got in and Angel spun the car around and headed for the hospital.

--

Alone, Faith wasn't sure if she could find Tristan, but she knew that Kera could. She had followed the young girl all the way to a large mansion. Kera waited outside the gates; from were Faith was hiding, she knew that this was the place that Tristan was. Faith dropped down from the trees above and approached Kera. Faith tapped her on the shoulder and Kera turned suddenly.

"Faith! What are you doing here?"

"I want him."

"Faith," Kera said standing, "you need to leave. You don't understand. You can't do anything. I need to do this." Faith's hardened gaze bore through her.

"No, you don't understand. I will have him. He killed Connor."

"Don't say that!" Kera yelled, "He's not dead yet. You need to go back. Think about little me. I am alone in the hospital right now, you need to go back for me."

"You're parents are going to be there. I left a message." Faith lowered her head and Kera knew there would be no convincing.

"Faith, please…"

"No. You don't understand. Connor was best thing that ever happened to me. And he will be gone. You're brother took him from me and I'm going to kill him. I won't let Connor die without justice."

"Let me take care of this. You are messing with things you can't possibly understand." Faith took hold of her arm and pulled her close.

"No. I'm with you. But I get him." Kera lowered her head and nodded. Faith let go of her arm and turned back to the gates.

"So, how do we get in?"

--

The arrived at the hospital within 10 minutes. Angel burst through the doors and walked up to the reception desk. Asking for his son, they told him that he was still in surgery but that his infant son was fine. The small group of four followed the nurse to the nursery and Buffy was handed her baby. Tristan was sleeping and Buffy looked around for Kera.

"Where is Kera?" She asked. The nurse looked confused.

"Who?"

"Kera, our daughter."

"They only brought in one." Buffy turned to Angel.

"So its true, Kera was taken. Angel what do we do?" Angel wasn't sure what he was going to do. His daughter was gone; and he had no idea who would want to take her. The nurse left them as they headed to the wing were Connor was being held. Spike finally felt it was the perfect opportunity to tell Angel what was going on.

"Angel, I need to talk to you. Tell you what's going on." Angel paced as he glared at Spike, "Keep the anger to yourself mate. I am only here to help you."

"It's true," Darla said, "We were brought back to kill you, but neither of us could possibly do that."

"Angel, look the person who brought us back is called the Beholder."

"We've heard of her."

"Heard of her, yes. But you have no idea what she is actually capable of. She is pure evil. The strongest kind. The Lord of the Underworld created the Beholder race. Or whatever you want to call him: Satan, Hades, Lucifer whatever. He created the perfect evil opposite in a woman only he misjudged one thing: she was a woman. Who tend to have a mind of their own and don't take kindly to being ordered around," Spike sat down across from Buffy and spoke to her since Angel was not relaxing, "She broke free of him. Created a race of super women who kill any and all that get in their path. However, with every creation there is a myth and part of her speaks of the one being who will have the power to destroy her. Up until now, they thought this was Tristan. Simply because of his evil nature." Buffy looked down at her sleeping son and couldn't imagine something so pure looking becoming so evil.

"But why my children?"

"Why not? Children of a vampire? Perfect reason for creating the next in line to rule Hell. Beside the point, she thought it was Tristan. It has been recently discovered that its not a man that destroys the Beholder, but a woman. Kera. That is why she is gone. The Queen has her and will kill her, or turn her, if we don't get to her."

"Why can't we kill this Queen?" Angel asked finally stopping.

"Because it has to be the Chosen, you should know about prophecies. You can't change them. Kera is meant to kill the Queen, we can slow her down but not kill her."

"So, lets do that." Angel turned to leave and Spike jumped up and took hold of Angel's arm.

"And how do you plan on defeating the most powerful woman ever created? Sheer force? She will kill you before you even attempt to touch her. She is not like anything you have ever faced before. She is worse. And right now she has your son helping her."

"What?"

"Tristan and Kera are here. From the future. Kera was sent back in time to save her brother; only there is no saving him. Tristan will grow up to be this evil. There is no changing nature."

"I haven't seen them, I think I would…"

"The young girl you have all shunned and won't speak to because of some other guys rumors and lies? That was Kera under another name. The young man who made you think she was evil that was Tristan. He was the one in the house tonight I'm sure of it. Bloody bloke, knew he would use us as a distraction to get to the house."

"How would he get past Faith?" Buffy inquired.

"I don't know." Darla broke her silence.

"We need to find this Queen." She said.

"How?" Buffy asked, her voice small. Spike lowered his head.

"No clue. This Tristan fellow gave us little information other than to kill the two of you. I barely remember where we came from. Look, our time is limited. Once they find out we didn't kill you they will break the spell holding us here and we will be gone," Spike turned back to Angel and looked him in the eye, "Right now, there is nothing we can do. You need to concentrate on finding the Queen and getting your daughter back. And Connor, he needs all the support in the world right now." Angel knew that Spike was right and he also knew there was one person who knew were the Queen would be. Angel grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

"Stay here with Buffy. I know where to go for help."

"Where?" Buffy asked.

"Our daughter."

**End of Part 2**

**Part 3**

Angel had remembered Kathy saying something about how this new girl was staying in a run down apartment building off Kingsway. He wasn't sure which, but if this girl really was his daughter then it shouldn't be hard to find her by scent. Angel managed to find the apartment in 20 minutes. He walked in the front door, stood for a minute, and then raced up the stairs to the third floor. Angel stopped in front of 218 and broke down the door. He walked into the room, without invitation, and stood in the living room. The place was incredibly run down with tattered curtains and mold in the corners. Coming from the bedroom there were sounds that Angel couldn't make out. He thought he heard a voice calling. Angel walked into the bedroom and found a large object on the floor covered in a sheet. Taking hold of the sheet, Angel pulled it off and looked at the large mirror. Staring back at him was Willow, an older Willow, but it was still Willow. She smiled at him and put her hands on her hips.

"Well, at least someone could hear me." Confusing played across Angel's face as he looked at the woman in front of him.

"How?"

"Magic of course. How do I do anything?" Angel sat down on the trunk that was at the foot of the bed and held his head in his hands.

"What is going on! I am so confused, everything is so wrong."

"Tell me about it. It's good to see you though." Angel looked at Willow and smiled.

"Thanks. Can you tell me what's going on?"

"Not all of it. What questions do you have?"

"Is this girl really my daughter?" Angel asked.

"Yes."

"How did I not know this?"

"She wasn't allowed to tell you." Willow replied.

"Why?"

"She is there to save the future. Our future is insane; people are dead who shouldn't be and people who are evil shouldn't be either. She is there to fix it."

"How can one person fix it?"

"You obviously don't know your daughter."

"Okay, say I believe this. What is so bad that we have to go back in time to fix it?" Angel asked standing up. Angel began to pace, as Willow seemed to sit down on air.

"That I can't tell you. What I can tell you is that you need to trust her and what she is doing. Help her. Also, stop her before she and Faith kill Tristan." Angel stopped pacing and looked directly at Willow.

"What?"

"Kera ran out of here not letting me explain that she needs to stay out of it. She has gone to get her brother. If Faith kills him, you will lose her."

"I'll lose her? What does that mean?" Angel asked.

"Trust Angel. Please stop them. Everything has a purpose, and it is not Tristan's time to die. Not yet." Willow's image began to fade and Angel moved closer to the mirror.

"How do I find them?"

"She's your daughter. He's your son, you know where they are if you look." Willow faded into the black of the mirror and Angel was left alone staring at an empty mirror.

--

Faith and Kera entered the darkened building. Kera had found an open window on the third floor and with the help of Faith managed to get through the window. Silently they walked down the darkened hallway. A large flight of stairs loomed ahead of them and the two girls descended.

"There's light down there." Kera whispered. Faith led the way as they headed towards the light. At the bottom of the stairs, Faith motioned for Kera to stop. Listening Faith waited to make sure there was no one around and then motioned for them to continue moving. Faith and Kera entered through a large wooden door. In the middle of the room a large floating ball of what appeared to be water stood alone. Emitting form the water was a gold light; Faith and Kera were transfixed on the light and moved towards the object.

"What is it?" Kera asked, her voice echoed.

"No idea, where is everyone?" Lights illuminated the room and standing in front of Faith and Kera was Tristan and a tall woman whom Faith had never seen before.

"Kera, how lovely of you to come." Tristan said as he moved towards her. The tall woman moved behind him and Faith noticed that she was holding something. Faith's eyes narrowed on Tristan, but she kept her attention on the beautiful woman circling the floating water.

"You shot Connor."

"Your point?" Tristan asked.

"Tristan, stop this." Kera pleaded.

"But its so much fun." Tristan said. The woman stopped walking and stared down at the object in her arms. Moving the blanket aside, Kera saw her baby self in the arms of the enemy.

"Give her back." Kera demanded. The woman laughed.

"I like her, she reminds me of…well honestly no one, but I like her all the same." Faith stared at Tristan and hatred coursed through her body. Faith reached behind her and pulled out a knife. It was the same knife that was given to her by the Mayor years ago in Sunnydale. Buffy had eventually given it back to her and now she would use it again, to kill the man who shot Connor. Kera pulled out her own weapon, a concealed bow and arrow set. Pushing a button, the bow expanded. Taking aim at the Queen, Kera fired. Faith lunged for Tristan moving faster than she had ever done before. The room broke into chaos as the other Beholders moved in to protect their Queen. Kera was fortunate; she had fought some before and knew where to aim. Directly between the eyes, her arrows flew from her bow smashing into the heads of the first four Beholders. Moving to higher ground, Kera continued to let her arrows fly. Faith hit Tristan in the face, moving to block a blow he was sending to her neck. Faith lunged with her knife and caught the shoulder of her opponent. Tristan smiled and grabbed Faith's wrist twisting hard forcing her to drop the knife. Faith ducked as Tristan tried to throw a punch to her head and managed to kick out and force his legs from underneath him. Tristan slammed to the ground and Faith picked up his arm and leg throwing him across the room. Kera was running out of arrow cover and the Beholders kept on coming. Suddenly the main door to the building opened and Angel and Buffy burst through the doors. Angel held a sword in his hands and Buffy was carrying a sleeve of arrows.

Buffy threw the arrows to Kera and took a second sword form Angel's hands. Angel and Buffy plunged into the center of the Beholders and started hacking away. Kera knew that they wouldn't get very far so she kept trying to cover them with the arrows. A Beholder came up behind her and grabbed her bow, Kera twisted and kicked the Beholder in the stomach and let an arrow fly into her head.

"You need to get their head, stab them through the eyes it's the only way to kill them!" She yelled at her parents. She had never seen them fight before, and when she watched them fight together she knew where her skills came from. Angel dove towards the left allowing Buffy access to the Beholder on his right. Their moves were like one and the both stabbed a Beholder each before the Queen made a motion with her arms to force the Beholders back. The beholders left the fighting and Kera moved her bow to focus on Tristan. One shot that was all she needed. She moved with Tristan trying to get a clear shot, but Faith kept getting in the way. Come on Faith, move. Buffy shouted to her daughter,

"Kera, no!" Kera froze. She lowered her bow and waited. Faith and Tristan circled each other.

"Faith, listen to me. You need to stop." Angel said. Faith turned around and Angel saw the pain and anger in her eyes.

"Come on, dad, let her have her fun." Angel turned on his son.

"I will kill you."

"That is what you said the last time, and happened then…oh right, you died."

"Tristan, don't!" Kera came down from her stoop and point her bow at Tristan, "You can not tell them anything about the future! You know that! You could risk…"

"Screwing time. I know. Come on Kera, I'm only having some fun."

"I should kill you…"

"But you won't," the Queen moved towards the group holding the baby above her head, "You won't because I have this." Buffy's eyes widened and she waited, moving closer but Angel raised his arm telling her to stop.

"Please, just give her back." Buffy pleaded. The Queen stopped moving and held her out.

"You want her? Take her." Buffy moved towards her, caution etched on her face. Angel stopped her. Shaking his head, he moved forward instead. To Angel's surprise, the Queen handed over the child. Angel moved back and handed Buffy Kera. Tristan turned on the Queen.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"You are young. You don't know anything. Tristan, leave it. I have what I want." Waving her arms, the water moved away from its stationed position and began to change shape. It expanded and reshaped into an oval moving towards the Queen it dropped in front of her. With another wave, the remaining Beholders moved past her and into the silver mass. Faith tried to move towards Tristan again, but Kera pulled her back. She shook her head and pulled her back.

"Tristan, we are leaving," Tristan moved towards the Queen and bowed his head, "one day, you will learn." Tristan walked away from her and turned back to his parents.

"This is not over. See you in the future." Tristan walked through the portal and disappeared. The Queen smiled and walked after him. Once she was through the silver water disappeared. In the room were Faith, Kera, Buffy and Angel. Faith bent and picked up her knife and turned towards the group. For the first time since leaving the hospital, Faith fell to the ground and cried. Buffy moved towards her and wrapped her arms around the slender shoulders of the Slayer on the floor.

--

8 hours later…

The hospital was crowded. The waiting room was filled with Connor's family. Angel and Buffy were in the corner with the twins, one with each parent. Faith sat on the floor in the corner with Kera holding her hand. Dawn, Kathy and Sean sat together on the couch reading random magazines. Connor had been in surgery for what seemed like forever. Angel had gone up a dozen times to the nurses station to find out if they were done and what was taking so long. And every time they would tell him that they would tell him as soon as they knew. After 10 hours of surgery, the doctor emerged through the double doors. Angel and Buffy approached the doctor and the doctor's face fell. Angel stopped moving. Faith slowly stood waiting for the doctor to tell them that Connor was in recovery and they could go and see him. The doctor stopped in front of Angel and lowered his head.

"I'm sorry. I did everything that I could. The bullet lodged itself in his spine; there was massive internal bleeding. I managed to get as much of the bullet out that I could, but with the blood loss there was nothing I could do. I'm sorry, but your son is…"

"Dead." Angel said. Buffy put her hand to her mouth. Faith fell to the floor, tears rolling down her face, her body shaking. Curling into a ball, Faith's mind exploded and the world stopped.


	8. Chapter 8

**Immortal: the Virtual Series**  
Episode 3.8: When you're Gone, I miss you  
Written by The Main Slayer  
Rating: K+  
Song 'When You're Gone' by Avril Lavigne (copyright as such)

**Part 1**

_ I always needed time on my own  
I never thought I'd, need you there when I cried  
And the days feel like years when I'm alone  
And the bed where you lie is made up on your side _

Staring outside, the city looked peaceful. Reality was, that the cars were backed up, horns were blaring, people were screaming and tempers flared. But for Angel, there was silence. All he could see was a blue sky, birds flying and silence. He had been sitting on his bed for nearly 4 hours. He hadn't moved; he hadn't eaten; he had just sat in silence. His eyes were blank, his face expressionless with his shoulders slumped and his mind wandering. He had never felt this way before. Empty. He had been a vampire for over 250 years, and there were many times he had felt like giving up, especially after her got his soul returned to him. But something kept him going. But now, this pain that he felt was indescribable. Like the world was coming crashing down around him and there was nothing that this wounded champion could do to save it. He was so used to knowing what to do, that for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do. _This must have been what Buffy had felt all those years ago…_

"_Everyone expects me to know what to do cause I'm a grown up…"_

If Angel wasn't already dead, he might just want to end his life. But that was a coward's way out. He had remembered at least some words his father had said to him…

"_You just want to end things? Are you that cowardly, that you would make your mother and sister go through such pain? What kind of man are you?" Head down, he had replied,_

"_I don't know what I want. I don't want anymore pain."_

"_Pain is what we have. It is what makes us human. Now, grow up."_

Angel wasn't sure if his father was completely true, but it made sense. There were still people who needed him: Buffy, his children, and his friends. But no matter how he tried to will his body to more, it just wouldn't. His son was dead. His miracle that he never thought would happen in his life was dead. And this time, there was no bringing him back by magic. There was no spell to open portals and bring him back; no spell that would erase what had happened and have him living in a happy new life. There was only reality; the reality that his son had been shot, and killed by his own brother. His brother who was the product of pure evil. Angel wanted nothing more than to bring his son back and have him laugh one more time. He wanted to hear him say his name, have conversations with him, eat dinner with his family. He wanted Connor to get married and have his own family so that Angel could be a grandfather someday. But that was all gone. There would be nothing. Angel's body began to shake; holding his hands in front of him, he watched as they shook with such intensity that he thought they would fall off. Just watching his hands, Angel's body fell from the bed and hit the ground with a thud. Angel wasn't sure, but he felt like he was about to cry. It had been years since he had done that. Again his father came to mind when he was young…

_Liam had fallen while running home from school. He fell outside of his house and scraped his knee. His mother attempted to run to him but his father held her back._

"_No. He must get up on his own." Liam held his knee and started to cry asking for his mother. She tried to move but her husband moved first. Taking hold of his arm, Alexander pulled his son to his feet and forced his son to stand and walk._

"_You do not cry. No son of mine cries. It shows weakness. You are a man, you fell, get up and move on. Now, go inside." Liam walked slowly into the house holding back his tears…_

The door to his room opened and Buffy ran into the room.

"Angel, are you alright?" She asked. Angel didn't move. He sat still as he allowed tears to fall down his face for the first time in years. Buffy slowly moved towards him and sat down beside him. Angel had his head down as Buffy tried to look him in the face.

"Angel?" She asked again. He turned to her and Buffy's eyes widened.

"How do you did you do it?"

"Do what?" She asked. Angel dropped his head again and watched tears fall onto his hands.

"Get over it." Buffy wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his head.

"You don't. You just learn to accept it."

"I don't know if I can."

"I'll help you." Buffy forced Angel head down into her lap as he held onto her legs and cried.

_ When you walk away I count the steps that you take  
Do you see how much I need you right now  
When you're gone the pieces of my heart are missing you  
When you're gone the face I came to know is missing too  
When you're gone the words I need to hear to always get me through the day_  
_And make it ok_  
_I miss you _

--

_ I've never felt this way before  
Everything that I do, reminds me of you  
And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor  
And they smell like you, I love the things you do _

Faith had been alone for hours. She had been through her closet fifty times searching for the perfect outfit to wear. She had never done this before, never spent so much time one someone. Her apartment was a mess. It had been since she got back. She just couldn't bring herself to clean it. She wanted to leave it the way it was when he'd left. Maybe, if she left it he would come back. But Faith knew that would never happen. She knew that he wasn't coming back. The bed wasn't made, it had remained the same since the last time he was in it. Beside her bed was the little black box he had left her that morning. He had wanted to be with her forever…_why did he leave me?_ Faith moved to her closet again and threw the dress she'd chosen aside. She took out another one and went back to the mirror.

The woman in front of her had dark circles under her red eyes. Her face looked tired and worn. Her hair was stringy, simply laying flat beside her face. She looked frail and thing as she tried to remember who the woman was in the mirror. Faith turned to the side and noticed that since the last time she looked, she had lost weight. At the moment, she didn't care. She slipped the dress on and looked again and the changed woman. The dark purple dress hung off her small frame. _This would do_. She picked up her shoes and walked to her bed. Sitting down, she bent over and put them on. And then she simply sat. Her apartment was so quiet. His pillow was beside her and picking it up she brought it to her face and breathed in its scent…

"_I love you."_

Faith cried. She didn't think anyone person could have so many tears to shed but she apparently did. Falling to the side of her bed, Faith continued to cry.

--

_ When you walk away I count the steps that you take  
Do you see how much I need you right now _

Kera sat with Dawn and Kathy in the kitchen of her parent's apartment. A thud had sounded through the apartment and Buffy had raced into the room. The whole feeling had been surreal for her. She remembering being told as a child that her uncle had died, but she never thought she would live it. Connor wasn't supposed to die this way. He was supposed to live to see her enter high school but because she had messed with time he was dead earlier. She knew that Tristan had killed Connor, but it didn't make her feel any less guilty. She had wanted so badly to kill Tristan that night, so had Faith, but she knew that it wasn't time. That there would be another chance.

Dawn and Kathy had cried a lot. They were sitting across from each other with cups of tea in their hand while the two babies were in their playpen. Kera knew that the questions were over for now, but more would come. All she knew right now was that her uncle was dead and her father was broken.

"Why are you here again?" Kera had been over this a couple of times, but it seemed to be the popular question.

"To save my brother; to save my parents."

"And Connor? Can you save him?" Kathy asked. Kera lowered her head.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because, I'm not here to…"

"But you're here to save your brother, the one who murdered my nephew, so why can't you save him too?" Kathy demanded eyes still focused on her cup.

"Because I can't change what happened. You can't mess with time…" Dawn cut her off,

"Mess with time? Isn't that what you are doing right now?" Dawn got up from the table and left the room. Kathy stood slowly and followed. Kera was left alone.

--

_3 days ago…_

It was four in the morning when Buffy had called Giles. Giles had just gone to bed after a long day of training when the phone rang. Looking at the clock, Giles cursed.

"This had better be good." He stated.

"It's me."

"Buffy, what are you doing calling me at this time in the morning?"

"Something's happened." Alarm ran through Giles.

"Is it the twins? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, so are the twins…it's Connor…he's dead." Giles sat up and turned on a light. Shock registered on his face.

"What? How did it happen?" Buffy told him the story and Giles rubbed his face.

"How is Angel?"

"Lost. He doesn't know what to do right now. I don't know how to help him."

"You can only be there. He lost his son. It will take time."

"Yeah, I remember." Buffy said her voice was quiet. Giles sat back on his bed knowing that there was nothing he could do from England.

"When is the funeral?"

"I don't know. Angel won't talk about it and I'm not making him do anything unless he wants to. It was easy with me, I knew what I had to do, but I don't think Angel does."

"Call me as soon as you know what you are doing. I'll be there."

"Thanks Giles, could you please tell Willow and Xander. They'll want to know."

"Of course." Buffy hung up the phone without saying goodbye and Giles was left hanging in silence. Hanging up the phone, Giles got out of bed and stood at his window. _Everything had been foretold. The elders had been right. No more holding back, they need to know everything._ Giles picked up the laptop he had bought (yes he was now in the 21st century) and looked up flights from England to New York. This was going to be hard to explain but he had to.

--

It had been a week since Connor's death and they still had no held a funeral. Angel was more willing to leave his room but it was only for a moment or two. Angel had chosen to be alone most of the time except for sometime with Buffy and his children. Today was one of his better days, he had a box open on his bed when Buffy came in to see him. She sat down beside him and kissed his cheek. Angel gave her a half smile and picked up a really old photo.

"What's this?"

"My house." Buffy looked at the photo and saw a small house with a well in front. The picture was dated 1914.

"How, you would have been turned by now?"

"I know, there were no cameras back when I was young, but I found this once and recognized it as my house. Sure it's a little different than when I was young but basically the same."

"Is this box full of things from then?"

"Yeah, I don't know why I'm looking at it but I just felt like it." Buffy smiled and looked at more pictures with him and small items he had when he was really young. She had never seen these things before; a worn out teddy bear someone had made him, a couple of old books that had been his favourites and some old cloths.

"I want to go back." Angel said simply. Buffy looked at him.

"Go back to Ireland?"

"Yes. I want to. I need to." Buffy took Angel's face in her hands and smiled.

"Okay."

"I need to go alone though. You need to trust me, but I need this time. I don't know what to do anymore and I need to figure that out. Do you trust me?" Buffy smiled and kissed him again.

"I love you." Two days later Angel left.

_ When you're gone the pieces of my heart are missing you  
When you're gone the face I came to know is missing too  
When you're gone the words I need to hear to always get me through the day  
And make me ok  
I miss you _

**-End of Part 1-**

**Part 2**

Angel arrived in Galway at three in the morning. He got off the plane and called a cab. After picking up his bags he went to the front of the airport and waited. Ten minutes later the cab pulled up and Angel put his bags in the trunk. Telling the cab driver where to go, Angel sat in the back in silence as the cab left the airport and headed away from the center of the city. The roads were clear and the night was quiet. The cab drove along the winding country road and came to a stop in front of an iron gate. Angel hadn't been to this home in over 200 years. Stepping out of the cab, Angel walked to the punch code on the gate door; punching in a ten-digit code, the gate clicked and opened. Angel got back in the cab and the cab drove to the front door. Angel took his bags out of the trunk, paid the cab driver, and walked to the front door.

Surrounding Angel was a beautiful garden and green grass. Large trees and rose bushes were in the middle of the drive surrounded by a small black fence. Ivy rose up along the side of the house and sunlight's illuminated the walkway. Angel walked up the steps and took out a set of keys. He put the key in the lock and turned it. The lock clicked and he pushed it open. Angel stepped into the large landing and shut the door. Angel put his bags down and looked around the large room. In front of him was a large staircase; to his right a hallway that led to the kitchen and the dinning room; to the left was the living room and the offices. Upstairs was the bedrooms. At the back of the house was a door that led to the servant's quarters. Angel's grandparents home was just as he had left it. They had always been good to him when his father hadn't been. They had left it to him rather than his father when they passed away. Angel had always managed to get the money together to keep the servants who kept the house up and keep the house open and running.

Angel wasn't sure who was running the house now and he was sure they would have questions for him, but right now he was tired and wanted to call Buffy. Locking the door, Angel went upstairs towards the master bedroom. At the top of the stairs, Angel looked down the two halls. Again, to the right were three bedrooms and a small office. To the left was the master bedroom. Each room had their own bathroom and a large closet. Angel turned to the left and went to the master bedroom. Turning on the light, Angel noticed that the bed had been turned down and the large fireplace on the right hand side of the room was lit. Angel smiled they knew he was here. He shut the door and put his bags on the bed. The bathroom was huge and the closet bigger; there was a couch and chair near the fireplace and a large window that gave the view of the Irish countryside.

Angel walked to the bed and sat down. He picked up the phone and dialed Buffy's number. The phone rang for about a minute when a soft voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey lover. I made it, safe and sound." Angel took his coat off and leaned back on the headboard.

"Hey, I miss you." She said. Angel smiled.

"I miss you too."

"How was your flight?" Buffy asked.

"It was good, quiet but good. Did some thinking."

"Oh yeah, what about?"

"Nothing much. Just about the important things in my life. You, the twins, my family. Connor…" Angel said. Buffy was silent on the other end. Angel sighed, he hated the silence there was between them now that Connor was gone.

"So, what are your plans while you are there?"

"Well, go to the bank. I need to find out where my money is. I thought I would see some old friends, maybe visit my parents…" Angel closed his eyes. It was a visit he wasn't sure he was ready for yet.

"Their graves?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, kind of includes mine as well…should be a surreal feeling." Angel said.

"No kidding." Angel wasn't sure what more he could say to her.

"It must be late, I should let you sleep."

"I'm okay, if you want to talk more." Angel got up from the bed and rubbed his face with his free hand. He moved to a mirror and looked at the empty image.

"How is everyone?"

"Fine, I've let Faith move in. She is actually sleeping right next to me at the moment. Dawn and Kathy are alright, Kera is on the outside. I've got her set up in the living room. Its kind of a full house."

"The twins?"

"Fine. Kera doesn't seem to have anything wrong. I'm not sure what the Queen did with her, but physically she is fine."

"That is good to hear." Angel pulled his shirt off and took off his belt. He moved to the bathroom and turned on the light. The large tub was on the right with a double sink adjacent to it. There was a chair next to the stand in shower with the toilet on the right. Angel walked to the sink and ran some water.

"I really should let you go."

"I guess." Angel knew that she wanted to talk, but he just wasn't ready.

"I miss you, Buffy. I'll call you soon."

"Okay, I love you Angel."

"I love you." Angel said his goodbye and hung up the phone. Splashing his face with water, Angel tried to rub the pain from his face. Turning off the water, Angel reached for a towel that was already hanging up and tired off. Turning off the light, Angel went back into the bedroom and took his pants off throwing them on the chair. He climbed into the large bed and turned off the light on the table. In the dark, Angel closed his eyes and pictured Buffy's face. Focusing on her features, Angel tried to sleep.

--

_ We were made for each other  
Out here forever  
I know we were  
Yeah yeah _

The atmosphere in Buffy's home was tense. She had more people living in her home than she had ever had before. Faith moved in because Buffy was concerned that Faith would do something she would regret later. Buffy had woke up before everyone that morning. She got the twins up and fed and placed them in the living room. Faith was asleep on the floor but she knew that there was nothing that would wake her up right now. Buffy moved from her living room to the kitchen. She put the coffee pot on and took out three different cereal boxes. She went to the sliding glass doors and opened the a crack. The fresh air was nice and made Buffy wish that she was in Ireland with Angel. It must be gorgeous there at this time of year. Buffy sighed and headed for the front door. She opened it and picked up the newspaper. Closing the door, Buffy went back into the kitchen and poured herself a fresh cup of coffee. She knew the aroma would wake up her whole house. Buffy looked back at the twins and saw that Faith was no longer on the floor. Buffy looked from left to right noticing that the French doors were open. Buffy took another cup of coffee out to the deck and stood in the doorway. Faith was watching the sunrise when Buffy came up her right. Faith nodded to her and accepted the coffee. Faith attempted to smile but she wasn't sure what she should say to her.

"Hey." Buffy said.

"Hey." Faith stared at the skyline and let her mind drift.

"How are you holding up?" Faith lowered her head. Tears filled her eyes and she turned her back to the rising sun. Leaning on the railing, Faith let her tears fall.

"I really miss him." She said. Buffy placed her hand on Faith's shoulder and smiled. Tears filled her own eyes and she moved closer to give Faith a hug. Faith turned and lowered her head to Buffy's shoulder. Faith silently cried.

"I know you do. I miss him too. I was just getting to know him."

"Buffy, please. You don't know how I feel."

"Yes I do. People tend to forget that I had to kill Angel. I sent him to hell and it was the hardest thing I have ever done. I thought my world was over. I never thought that I would be happy again. For months afterwards I was plagued with memories and dreams. It was awful and I just wanted to give up," Buffy raised Faith's head to look at her and smiled, "But I was okay. I accepted it, eventually. Faith though things seem like the end right now, they will get better. I promise you." Faith moved away from her friend and turned back to the sun. Buffy saw the sadness move from her eyes and get replaced with rage.

"It will be okay as soon as I kill the person responsible."

"Faith, that won't solve anything."

"You don't understand. I loved him. Buffy I actually loved someone. I never let anyone get inside…Connor was…I don't know, he loved me. For all my faults and problems, he loved me for me. No one ever loves me. He asked me to marry him." Buffy's eyes widened.

"Faith."

"I said yes. I was in shock. I couldn't believe that anyone would love me that much and he does," Faith lowered her head again and corrected herself, "did."

"No, Faith. He does love you. He will always live in your heart and while he is there no one can take him from you."

"Buffy, I don't know if I can go on without him." Faith started to cry again. Buffy wasn't sure what she should say to her friend. Buffy had lost Angel, but he had come back. Connor was not coming back. Faith moved from the balcony to the living room where she saw Dawn, Kathy and future Kera pouring coffee. Their faces were all she needed to know that this wasn't some bad dream. Buffy stood beside her.

"You know, for the first couple of days, I thought that this was all just a bad dream. But their faces, tell me otherwise. He is never coming back and I will never love again." Faith moved away from the balcony and headed for the washroom. She closed the door and turned on the shower. She turned the water to hot and allowed the steam to fill the bathroom. Faith took her pajamas off and stepped into the shower. The scorching water hit her hard and she winced in pain. Even though the water was burning her, she didn't change the temperature. The hot water made her feel alive; since Connor died, she had not felt much of anything except pain and hatred. Letting the water fall over her Faith pictured Connor's face. It took all her strength to hold back more tears.

_ All I ever wanted was for you to know  
Everything I do I give my heart and soul  
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me _

**End of Part 2**

**Part 3**

Angel walked through the streets of Galway. A lot had changed since he had been her last. Last year, when Buffy had disappeared Angel had came here looking for information, now he was here looked for answers to the hole he had in his heart. Angel was not alive, but at this moment he felt more alive because of the loss of his son. He had been here for nearly a week and he still wasn't sure what he should do. Someone was walking towards him Angel smiled and stopped walking.

"Hello my friend."

"Hey."

"I thought you said you were never coming back here?" Angel smiled at his old friend from 200 years ago. Graham and Angel had spent most of their time together as children. Their mom's had been friends since they were children.

"Yeah, something happened and I had to…"

"Say no more. Unless you want to share?" They started walking towards their favourite bar from their childhood. They walked in and sat down with a pint and Angel told his old friend about the death of his son.

"That's hard. I know how you feel though."

"How's that?" Angel asked him.

"Before you turned me my dear friend, my wife had just lost our first son. First and only, because you turned me." Angel laughed to himself, "that is not funny there friend."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Look, the point of me telling you this is that in time you will move on from it. I know it seems like it will never happen, but it will." Angel looked down. Graham put his hand on his friends shoulder and smiled.

"I have something to show you." Angel got up and left with Graham. They moved away from the pub and headed towards an old church that loomed in the distance. Angel remembered the church all too well. His parents had taken him there every Sunday and holiday of his life. Angel wasn't sure what they were doing going here but there had to be a reason. The walked around behind the church and into the cemetery. Angel couldn't believe that it was still standing. Following the tombstones Angel looked at the names and the dates. Graham stopped at a line of four graves. Angel looked at his friend and glared at him.

"Why are we here?" He asked.

"Look, what do you see." Graham asked. Angel looked back at the stones and frowned.

"I see my family plot." Graham laughed.

"Yeah, that is right. Let me tell you a little story…"

_1753 Galway_

_The funeral had been simple. No one really attended. That was how he had wanted it. His son had disappointed him for the last time. It wasn't right burying him first, but he supposed it was his punishment for never listening to him. Sitting alone, Alexander O'Connor listened to the mindless chatter around him, silently mourning the loss of his only son. He knew that when his son died, he had hated him. There would be no way to tell his son that what he had done and said to him was for his own good. That one day he would understand his father's actions as love not hatred. But that day would never come because he had thrown his son out of his home and he had died. In his silence he never noticed a young man approach him. Looking up, Alexander noticed that it was Graham, Liam's old friend._

"_May I, sir?" He asked. Alexander nodded. Sitting down Graham wait for his friend's dad to say something. Alexander looked at Graham and smiled. It had been the first smile in four days._

"_Sir, I'm sorry about Liam…"_

"_Let me tell you something. Listen to your parents. Appreciate them, everything they do is because they love them."_

"_Sir, I…I guess."_

"_No. It's true. I love my son…loved," Alexander wasn't sure, but he felt the need to confess to this young man who had known more about his son than anyone in the world, "What was he like?"_

"_Sir?" Graham wasn't sure what he meant._

"_Liam. What was he like?"_

"_Liam was Liam. He was fun to be around, he always listened to me, he was idealistic always looking to the future…and he loved his family. Despite everything that was done to him or said, I know that he loved you sir." Alexander smiled again and shook his head._

"_I don't know about that."_

"_No, he did. He did everything you ever asked of him. He even got married for you when he didn't want to. All he wanted was to hear you say…"_

"_I know. But as a father you have to understand that all parents want more for their children than we ever had. His marriage would have been the best for him but he had screwed it up with his drinking…"_

"_Liam loved his ale. But that was mainly because you had driven him to. Drinking took him away from the things that happened. I know its not a very good excuse but its how he felt."_

"_I wish I could have saved him."_

"_Maybe he didn't want to be saved sir. Maybe he just wanted you to accept him for the way that he was…not for who you wanted him to be." Alexander lowered his head. Graham reached beside him and pulled out a drawing. Graham handed it to him and smiled._

"_This was meant for you. Liam was a really good artist. I'm sure you knew that but it wasn't in your plans for him. He told me about it a week ago that he wanted you to have this but wasn't ready to give it to you yet. I think you would appreciate it." Graham left his friend's father hoping that the drawing would bring closure to the situation. Alexander stared at the drawing. In the drawing were four figures. It was his family: his wife, his daughter, himself and Liam. Alexander smiled…_

"Why did you tell me that story?" Angel asked. Graham laughed.

"You don't get it do you? Even though your dad did the things he did, he loved you. He loved you even when you killed him. He held your memory, and you will hold Connor's." Graham handed him the same drawing that he had given to Angel's dad all those years ago. Angel took it and smiled.

"Thanks Graham."

"You got it." Angel took the drawing and placed it over his father's grave. Graham was right, Connor would always be there as long as Angel made sure he was there. Leaving the cemetery, Angel and Graham headed back to the pub shared another pint and then Angel went home. Picking up the phone, he called several places before calling home. He talked to Buffy for hours and told her what he wanted to do. Buffy had agreed wholeheartedly and soon they were making plans for Connor's funeral.

--

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon. The small cemetery was filled with friends and family. Angel had called in a few favours and managed to get a fifth site next to his family plot. Angel didn't know why he wanted to do it this way, but for some reason it felt fitting. Angel had been smart about his money when he was traveling the world. He had paid for all Buffy's friends to be at the funeral: Willow and Kennedy, Xander, Giles, Wesley, Gunn, Fred, Lorne and even Andrew. Buffy and the family was there and Faith. Angel had even invited Graham and his wife and several people that Angel remembered from his childhood had arrived. He had forgotten what he had done to this small town all those years ago, but it was nice to see that even though he had murdered most of them, they were here. Angel watched as everyone sat down and waited. The casket was poised above the newly dug hole with flowers and a photo. Angel had not had many photos of his son, but he remembered Connor giving him one of his high school graduation. Faith sat in front with Angel and his family. Faith was hurting just as much as Angel was, if not more. It took a lot for Faith to open up to people and she had opened up to Connor in more ways than Angel knew possible. The priest arrived and the funeral seemed like it was over before it started. Angel didn't want a wake; he didn't want people to continue on the way that they had been. He knew that Connor would not have wanted it that way. Most people say that when someone they love dies, but Angel knew it to be true. After most of the people were gone, Angel remained with Buffy and Faith. Dawn, Kathy and future Kera took the twins back to the car and waited for them. Buffy placed a handful of red roses on the fallen casket. She then kissed Faith on the cheek and Angel and went back to the car. Faith's face was moist with freshly fallen tears. She wasn't sure how a person could cry so much, but she now knew. Angel moved towards her and hugged her. Faith fell into his arms and sobbed into his shoulder. The funeral had made it real. Faith was able to pretend up until now; but now that she had seen his body move towards the ground she knew that she was never going to see him again. Faith cried and Angel held her.

"I miss him so much!" Faith cried. Angel held her tighter allowed his own tears to fall down his face.

"I know, I do too." Faith's body began to shake and she pushed away from Angel.

"This is not fair. Everything good in my life dies."

"I know that it all seems impossible now, but it will get better. It has too. I refuse to believe that we will hurt forever." Faith glared at Angel. How could he understand?

"Tell me, how can you understand? You are never going to die! How can you possible know what I'm going through right now?" She demanded. Angel sat down and motioned for Faith to join him.

"Yeah, I'm going to live forever. But forever means nothing when everything you love is gone. I know that one-day, Buffy and the twins are going to die and I am going to continue on, alone. There is no one in this world I love more than Buffy, as you did Connor, and I know that one day I will have to bury her…forever. Do you understand how lonely I feel every time I'm reminded of mortality?" Faith leaned into her friend.

"But you still have her."

"She's already died, twice. I lost her twice. When I learned of her death, the second time, I thought my world was ended. But then, as I was at my retreat and I listened to my friends, I realized that she was never gone. Never gone as long as I preserved her memory and what I had with her. And I really do believe that if we remember Connor, he will always be with us." Faith nodded slowly and cried again. She was so tired. Her body hurt all over from crying and not sleeping. All she wanted to do was pass out and never wake up again. Angel pushed her up slightly,

"Let's go home." Faith stood and moved towards the open grave. Taking off her necklace, Faith threw it down to her lover. Angel watched as the small cross Connor had given her for her birthday fell on top of the closed casket. Faith removed a second necklace from her pocket and placed it around her neck. Hanging from the gold chain was a ring. Angel smiled. Connor had told him about that ring, and he was thrilled that Connor wanted Faith to be a permanent member of their family. Faith took Angel's hand and together they walked back to the car.

_ When you're gone the pieces of my heart are missing you  
When you're gone the face I came to know is missing too  
When you're gone the words I need to hear to always get me through the day  
And make it ok  
I miss you _

--

They arrived back to their new home. Angel and Buffy had decided that too much had happened to them in the United States and that it was time for a very large change. The move to Ireland had been smooth. Angel went back to New York and packed up all their things. Shipping it from North America to Ireland had been a challenge but they managed. Dawn and Kathy knew that they would not be staying long because they were due to start NYU in the spring. Not to mention Kathy was unwilling to leave Sean behind. Kathy had brought him to the funeral and now he would stay with the family until the spring semester started. Faith moved into the villa Angel had inherited from his grandparents. Faith wasn't sure how long she would stay but for now, with her spacious room, her family would surround her. She had never thought of anyone as family before, other than the mayor, but now she knew that Angel, Buffy and their family was her family. Night fell and the house was silent. Kera was reading in her room when Dawn, Kathy and Sean knocked on her door. Opening it, Kera was surprised but let them in. They all sat down on the floor and looked up at her. Kathy looked angry.

"Have you given any thought to what we talked about earlier?" Kera looked confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Bringing Connor back?" Kera lowered her head.

"I told you already, I can't do it. I can't change the past for selfish reasons." Sean put an arm around Kathy.

"Aren't what you are doing right now, isn't that selfish?"

"NO! I am doing this to save the future from being destroyed! Tristan is going to kill everyone, and with the help of the Queen he will succeed. Yes I want to save my parents, but they knew what they were doing. They knew that if they faced Tristan they might die and they did. They died saving the world and if I have to as well, then so be it. But I can't just go back in time and save Connor from death without repercussions."

"What is the worst that could happen?" Dawn asked her.

"Someone else could die. Connor might live, but the imbalance will be there and someone will have to fill it. Whether you want to believe it or not, Connor was meant to die. If I change that someone has to take his place. That someone could be…"

"Me." Faith stood in the doorway. Kera looked at her Aunt.

"I won't do it." Faith closed the door and strode across the room and placed a knife to her throat. Dawn, Kathy and Sean stood.

"Faith, what are you doing?" Dawn demanded. Kera swallowed.

"I am going to save Connor," Her eyes looked wild as she held the knife close, "even if it kills me."


	9. Chapter 9

**Immortal: the Virtual Series**  
Episode 3.9: A Race Against Time  
Written by The Main Slayer  
Rating: K+

Part 1

"Faith, I can't do it." Kera tried to hold back her tears as Faith's knife bit into her throat. Kera knew that her Aunt was hurting but this was no way to deal with it. Faith's eyes were wild as she stared at the young woman who had caused her all this pain. Faith pushed the knife just a little drawing blood.

"You will do it. I am not afraid of killing you." Kera pushed into Faith's knife her eyes just as hard.

"You won't kill me. You need me." Kera stared at her Aunt. Faith lifted the knife and stared at the young woman.

"I've never asked for anything in my life. Everything has just gone for shit. Now, I am asking you, nicely, to do this for me. I would rather die then make my family suffer the loss of Connor." Kera stood and faced off with the one person in the world who understood her.

"And what about if you die? How much suffering will that cause Connor?" Kera demanded. Faith lowered her head.

"Maybe there is a way to save him and no one has to die."

"That is not possible. Life and death are balanced together. If one person is meant to die they are meant to die. I have been trying to explain that to you! You can't save one person without losing another. Someone has to die."

"Then it will be Tristan. If I can save Connor maybe we can kill Tristan." Faith walked around the room attempting to think of a way to kill Tristan and not Connor.

"Faith, I…"

"Look, you are the one who told us that Tristan was going to destroy the world. Why not stop him now?"

"Because, I want to save him. I'll kill him if I have to, but you would expect me to kill my own brother?" Kera asked. Faith shook her head.

"Not you, me," Faith moved towards her niece, "I'll kill him." Kera wasn't sure what was running through her head right now, but what Faith was saying made sense. She knew that it was a bad idea and there was a chance that they would not make it out and that their plan would fail. But she knew that her efforts to get rid of her brother were not working and with Faith's rage and anger, they might actually be able to stop them. Kera wouldn't tell them that there was a chance that it would go the same way it had already played out, but she knew there was no winning with her Aunt. Kera nodded.

"Fine. But mom and dad can't know what we are doing." All four of her new friends nodded. Kera moved towards her boxes she had brought with her to Ireland. She riffled through one of them and brought out several ingredients including a rather large mirror. Setting up the mirror, Kera said a small phrase and Willow appeared. Faith, Kathy, Sean and Dawn stood back and stared at the elder witch.

"Kera, thank god. I was really worried about you." Kera smiled at her aunt.

"How are you, Willow?" She asked.

"Fine, but what is going on?" Kera explained what had happened and Faith's plan to take out Tristan before he killed Connor. Willow's anger showed in her eyes as she weighed the ups and downs to this plan. Willow had never been a fan to change the past; messing with time was dangerous. She had risked a lot sending Kera to the past and now they wanted to go back again.

"I don't know."

"That is what I thought. But think of it Willow…we could actually get rid of Tristan. I don't think we can save him. I've tried. You know I have."

"There are other ways." Willow tried to change the subject. Faith moved towards the mirror and stared into the face of the one woman in the world who had the power to change what had happened.

"No. There is no other way. I won't live without him. And you are going to help me…I will either kill Tristan then, or now. Either way, the world will be one less of an evil spirit." Faith was telling the truth, and Willow knew it. Willow sighed and looked back to her niece.

"You know what you are getting into here?" Kera nodded, "Fine. Not all of you can go. I will send Kera and Faith only. The rest of you need to make sure that Buffy and Angel do not find out what is going on." Dawn stood and ran to the mirror.

"No, I think another one should go. Sean…you should go too. Kathy and I will have better luck keep Buffy and Angel out of things, but Faith might need some extra help." Sean stood and nodded. Kathy didn't like this idea but she knew that Dawn was right.

"Fine. Form a circle." The group did as they were instructed. Kera set up a few items and holding hands the group of friends closed their eyes. Willow began to chant.

"Goddess of Time, here my call. We ask that you protect your humble travelers as they journey through your world of corridors. Goddess of Time, take these travelers to the destination they seek; guide them on their voyage and make their path virtuous." The room filled with a bright glow as the items in the center of the room lifted off the ground. Willow turned to the three travelers.

"The three of you need to step towards the center. Remember, you cannot be seen by yourselves. If you do, things may turn ugly. You can't save everything, so be careful and don't get your expectations high." Faith, Kera and Sean stepped forward and then the light was gone and Kathy and Dawn stood alone.

CREDITS ROLE

Faith blinked as she looked up into a starlit sky. She was on the ground, groaning she rolled over and saw Kera and Sean next to her. Sitting up Faith tried to get an understanding of where she was. The high trees blew in the wind and leaves on the ground rustled as the breeze picked up. The park benches were empty and the lights shone dimly. Faith looked around her and recognized the large pond…or was it a lake? Central Park. Faith moved towards Kera and shook her.

"Get up." Kera groaned and rolled over. Sean started to move and sat upright.

"Where are we?"

"Central Park." Faith said shortly. Faith began to leave the spot they were standing at; she began to run at a steady pace. Kera and Sean followed her trying to keep up. Faith stopped short and looked up at a large building. It was the building that Buffy and Angel lived in. She saw some lights come on and Buffy and Angel were standing in the living room with Connor and Faith. It was right at the beginning. Faith sat down on the bench behind her and looked up at the window.

"We now need a plan."

"Agreed." Kera sat next to Faith.

"Anything in mind?' She asked.

"What time do I come out here to meet with you?" Faith asked her. Kera thought for a moment and shook her head.

"I don't know. Ten maybe?"

"Okay, here is what we will do. Sean you stay out here. Neither Kera nor myself can stay to tip off the other Kera and Faith…or keep an eye on them. I don't want them to interfere." Sean moved towards Faith, anger in his eyes.

"That is your plan for me? Playing watch dog?" Faith stood to face him and glared.

"Look, you heard what Willow said. I can't see myself and neither can she. Deal with it. Kera, you and I will go up to the penthouse and wait until I leave. As soon as I'm gone, we go in and get them out." Kera stood.

"I don't know this can't be your plan. Faith, please don't do something you will regret." Faith reeled on her niece.

"Do as I say. I don't want anyone to die, but if someone is going to die it's going to be Tristan. I want to save the future and I think the only way to do it is to kill him. Just let me handle it. You don't know want this on your mind, trust me."

_"Faith, no!" The stake flew down and connected solidly. The figure didn't turn to ash. Faith wasn't sure what was going on, the body fell against the dumpster and Buffy knelt next to him._

_"__I didn't…I didn't know." Faith stammered as she stepped back. Dropping the stake Faith stared in disbelief. Had she really just done this? Had she really stabbed a human? Sirens wailed in the distance and Faith's body hit survival mode. Grabbing Buffy's arm Faith tried to pull her away from the dying man._

"_We gotta go! Come on!" Standing the girls ran…_

Kera knew what her aunt was talking about but she didn't want to bring it up. Slayers went rogue all the time; Faith's as the first case where she managed to be rehabilitated.

"Fine. Lets get this moving before we run out of time." Faith nodded.

"We need some weapons." Kera moved away from the group and headed to a secret hiding place. She pulled out a small bag from the hallow of a tree and handed Faith the bag. Kera shrugged when her aunt gave her a strange look.

"What, you have to be prepared for anything." Faith rummaged through the bag and picked out a strong knife. Moving towards the edge of the park, Faith turned back to Sean.

"You have to make sure that the don't come back to the house until you get a signal from us."

"And what signal would that be?" Sean asked, anger dripping off his words.

"You'll know it when you see it."

"That's rather vague don't you think?"

"Deal with it." Faith ran from the spot and Kera shrugged. Following her aunt, Kera knew that they were heading into something they had no idea the outcome.

**End of Part 1**

**Part 2**

The night air was cool on the Slayer's skin. The curtains fluttered in the breeze. Buffy opened her eyes and looked out at the full moon. She shivered when she sat up. Buffy wrapped her arms around herself and climbed out of bed. Angel stirred beside her and for a moment she thought that she might have awaken him. Buffy picked up her housecoat and walked towards the large French doors. She walked through and stood on her balcony that overlooked a large lake with rolling green hills. Ireland sure was different from New York. There was a peacefulness here that she would never have experienced in New York. Buffy placed her hands on the rail and breathed in the night air. She couldn't believe how much had changed since she had returned to L.A. almost three years ago. Her intentions then had been to tell both Angel and Spike that she was done with both of them and the pain that they had caused her. But when she had seen Angel, she knew in her heart that she couldn't do it. She looked into his eyes and saw his soul. Like she had always seen when looking into his chocolate eyes. There was so much in those eyes that she still wanted to discover; there was a man underneath those eyes that was waiting to be released. A howl pierced the night as Buffy reflected on her life. Slayer instincts took over as she looked through the night to locate where the sound had come from. _Probably just a wolf._ Buffy thought. However, her instincts told her otherwise. Buffy left the balcony and walked back into her room. She moved towards Angel and tapped him on the shoulder. Angel stirred slightly as Buffy said his name.

"Angel?" Angel turned on his side and looked into her face.

"What? What is it?" He asked her.

"You up for a little late night hunting?" Angel's eyes opened widely, "I heard a werewolf. Thought you might be up for a little…fun?" Angel sat up and let the sheets fall. His body seemed to glow in the moonlight. He grabbed his pants and threw on a shirt while Buffy dressed. Together they left the room. Buffy quickly stopped at the twin's room to see her angels sleeping soundly. The door to Dawn, Kathy and Faith's room was closed. Buffy listened only for a moment, thinking of inviting Faith on the hunt, but figured she needed her rest. Leaving together, Buffy and Angel entered the night under the full moon above.

--

Faith moved slowly through the shadows as she watched the window ten stories above. There had to be a way to get up there without being noticed by either herself or Connor. Faith waited as she watched events she had already lived unfold. The front door to the building opened and a familiar face ran out. Faith watched as the past Faith ran from the front of building following a familiar shadow. Kera halted behind her aunt and waited. Faith motioned for them both to be quiet. As the past Faith passed them she paused only for a moment. Faith frowned. She hadn't done that the first time. Falling deeper into the shadows the two women watched the Slayer's pause and then continued to move on. Faith moved her hand forward and the two women moved towards the entrance of the house. Faith wasn't sure where Tristan was, but she had to warn Connor. Together they moved into the building and stopped.

"I think we should use the stairs." Faith said.

"Why?" Kera asked. Faith didn't answer but moved towards the stairs. Kera followed Faith and entered the stairwell with her. It was ten flights up and Faith moved two stairs at a time. Kera wasn't sure if she could keep up with her Slayer aunt, but she made a good effort. Her parents had taught her well…

Kera had just turned 16 when her father had decided to teach his children to fight. Each night she would spar with her father and brother. Tristan was far better than she was, but she knew that one day she would beat him. Kera's mother sometimes joined but her work with the Watcher's council took most of her time. On this particular evening, Kera and Tristan were fighting each other. For once, Kera was actually beating her brother with the encouragement of her father.

"_Don't lower your guard. That is what your opponent will always look for." Angel was standing outside the fight circle he had made and watched his daughter and son. Kera lowered her shoulder slightly opening up an opportunity for Tristan. Tristan hit her in the side and she fell back slightly._

"_Never drop your shoulder! Keep your elbows tight and shoulders square!" Kera adjusted herself and managed to get a few hits off on her brother. Tristan stepped away from his sister. She had never beaten him before and he wouldn't let her now. Tristan smiled and stepped forward again._

"_So, you going to the senior dance?" Kera looked at her brother and gave him a 'shut up' look._

"_No, that is for seniors and if you haven't noticed, I am a junior." Kera was angry that her brother had brought the dance up. She had been asked by the football captain to go to the dance and had not had the opportunity to ask her parents._

"_Not what I heard."_

"_Shut up Tristan!"_

"_I heard that the football captain, Eric Watters asked you out." Kera didn't mean to allow her anger to consume her but she glared at her brother and lunged at him. Tristan grabbed her arm and flung her behind him. Kera hit the ground hard and split her forehead open. Tristan laughed. He moved towards her and extended her hand. Kera hit it and stood on her own._

"No hard feelings." Kera moved past him and stormed into the house…

Kera stopped suddenly realizing that Faith had stopped. Faith held her hand up making sure that Kera knew to stop. She opened the main door to the tenth floor and slowly moved on the floor. The building was rather small for downtown New York, only ten floors, but the penthouse was the best part of the building. Most New York apartments rose above the sky with up to thirty floors. Buffy and Angel had chosen this one because of the view. Faith and Kera moved slowly down the hall and waited at the door.

"Okay, so we go in like we are the real Faith and Kera. Tristan is there somewhere. We need to search each room. You find him, you get me. Understood?" Faith stated. Kera nodded. Faith turned the knob and entered the room. She slowly closed the door and signaled Kera to move towards the bedrooms while she went to the living room where Connor was sitting. Connor turned around and looked at Faith.

"Back so soon?" Faith smiled and walked past the couch. She moved to the balcony and looked outside. She could see the shadows of herself and Kera talking. Behind them, she knew that Sean was watching. She left the balcony and walked into the kitchen, she opened a few cupboards and filtered through the pantry. Connor crossed his eyes and stood.

"What are you doing?" Connor walked towards her and she stopped in front of him. She looked down the hall and noticed that one of the doors was open and saw Kera's shadow shuffling through the dark rooms. Connor turned his head to see what Faith was looking at but before he could Faith grabbed his face and started into his oddly blue eyes. Angel had brown eyes, yet Connor had blue. Blonde hair and blue eyes, _must have come from Darla._ Faith had never met Darla, but from what she had read, she was a monster. From what Angel had told her, she killed herself so Connor could live. Good and evil, just like Angel.

"I love you." Faith said to him. Connor smiled.

"I love you, too. What is going on?"

"Nothing. I just…I just think I'll check on the twins." Faith moved from him and noticed that Kera had not emerged from the master bedroom. From what Faith could remember, Tristan had entered the house through the skylight in the bathroom. Faith frowned and slowly moved towards the master bedroom. Stopping first at the bathroom, Faith peeked her head in and saw that the skylight was open but the bathroom appeared to be empty. _He is already here._ She hugged the wall and slowly opened the door to Dawn's room. There was no one there. _That means she made it to the master. He is in there._ Faith looked behind her and noticed that Connor was following her.

"Please, stay there."

"What is going on, and this is the last time I am asking you."

"I don't have time to explain it to you, but if you insist on following me you need to be quiet and stay down when I tell you. You are not super human. I don't want you to get hurt." Connor glared at her but stayed silent. Faith turned the knob to the bedroom door just as the door was kicked out from the inside. Faith and Connor fell back and hit the ground.

**End of Part 2**

**Part 3**

Buffy hadn't been on a hunt in a long time. She couldn't remember the last time she had killed anything. Since becoming a mom she had been out of the circle for what seemed like forever. She missed it. The late nights, the adrenaline and the excitement of not knowing what the night would unleash. Hearing the werewolf gave Buffy a slight thrill that she would maybe get some action. Angel stopped and smelled the air. Buffy smiled.

"I hate that little trait of yours. Very very creepy." Angel laughed and turned to her.

"I know, but how many times has it saved our lives?" Buffy smiled back and continued to follower her create of the night fiancé. _Fiancé. _Now that was a weird thing to say, let alone think. In a couple of weeks she would be married to the love of her life. Angel stopped and Buffy halted behind him.

"I don't suppose you brought some silver with you?" Buffy reached behind her and showed Angel a pure silver knife she had lifted from the house. Angel frowned.

"That is a family heirloom."

"Do you have a better idea?" Angel's face softened and he turned away. Just as he did a large animal burst from the shadows and fell on the couple. Angel pushed the beast off him and stood to face the creature. Buffy and Angel looked at the creature as it barred its teeth. Buffy and Angel separated and surrounded the beast. Leaping onto the creatures back, Angel distracted it long enough for Buffy to get a few hits off at its face. The werewolf flung back and threw Angel from its back. Angel hit a tree and fell face down in the dirt. Buffy held the silver knife in the moonlight so that the werewolf could see what would be its ultimate end. Something appeared in the werewolf's eyes then. A glimmer of humanity. Buffy lunged towards the wolf allowing the knife to slice its arm. Howling in pain, the wolf struck Buffy hard enough to split her cheek open. Buffy fell to the side and allowed the knife to fall out of her hand. Angel shook his head as he rose from the ground. Clouds began to move in and covered the moonlight. Slowly, the wolf changed. Angel's eyes widened as he saw the human form in front of him. Buffy looked up and her mouth fell in shock.

"Oz?"

--

Faith tried to stand. Connor shifted underneath him. Faith rose to find a gun pointed at her face. Tristan held the gun pointblank at her head. Behind him, Kera was on the ground bleeding. _Oh god!_ Faith noticed that Kera was still breathing. Relief flooded through Faith. Connor stood behind her and the both faced off with Tristan.

"Well well," He said, "This is a pleasant surprise. How did you know I would be here? I could have sworn you were outside talking with my traitorous sister. How did you get here so fast?" Sarcasm fell off every word. Faith knew that Tristan knew that she wasn't the real Faith.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Sure you do, aunt Faith." Connor looked at Faith. A quizzical look came across his face, Faith kept her focus on Tristan.

"What is he talking about?" Faith remained quiet, anger seething through her body. She hated this man, more than she hated anything in her life.

"Oh, that's right. You don't know. Well, let me enlighten you. In the future, you marry Faith. Which makes her my aunt. I am Tristan, from the future of course and the bleeding mess who thinks she can beat me, is my sister Kera. You are staring your future in the face dear brother. Only, you won't get to see it." Tristan raised the gun and Faith stepped between the gun and Connor.

"NO! I won't let you kill him, not this time." Connor's breath caught.

"What do you meant this time?" Tristan smiled and then began to laugh.

"Oh I get it now, you an my sister are here to stop me from killing your boyfriend. I'm sure it was an accident. All I want is my sister."

"Accident! Is that what you call shooting someone, an accident?" Faith demanded.

"All I want is the baby. No one needs to die. You've made your point. Just give me the baby."

"No." Faith stood her ground. Kera slowly stirred behind them. Faith needed to keep Tristan distracted. Tristan laughed at Faith and loaded the gun.

"Last chance, move and let me have the baby."

"Go to hell." Faith growled. Aiming the gun Tristan took his shot, Kera jumped on her brother's back and forced him to point the gun at the ceiling. The bun went off shooting a whole in the roof. The twins woke due to the noise and started screaming. Faith pushed Connor to the side and launched forward to help Kera.

--

Outside, the other Faith and Kera turned. Sean cursed under his breath. _That must be the sign._ The past Faith and Kera were about to leave the park when Sean shot them in the back with a tranquilizer. The two girls hit the ground and Sean ran towards the building.

--

Faith and Kera struggled with Tristan as Connor tried to stand. Faith forced herself firmly onto Tristan causing Kera to fall down. She hit the ground and coughed up blood. Connor stood and tried to help Faith.

"NO! Stay back, Connor. Help Kera, keep the twins safe." Tristan leveled Faith to the wall forcing her to let go of Tristan's arm. Tristan wrapped his hand around Faith's throat squeezing hard. Kera tried to stand but Tristan's boot flew out and hit her in the face. Blood hit the carpet and Kera blacked out. Connor wasn't about to let Faith die so instead of heading to the safely of the twins room, he hit Tristan in the back with a baseball bat. Tristan let Faith go and fell to the ground. Connor hit him several times before Tristan grabbed hold of the bat pushing the butt of the bat into Connor's face. Falling back, Connor fell into the door as it opened and Sean burst into the room. Faith grabbed Tristan's ankle and pulled him down the hall into the living room. Sean rounded the couch and stood at Tristan's back. Blood poured from Tristan's face as he looked at Faith, Sean and Connor who had him surrounded. He laughed.

"You think you have me don't you? You forget auntie dear that Kera and I are linked. Every time she makes a jump I know about it. Do you think with that knowledge that I would come here alone?" Faith's eyes widened as a shape emerged from the twin's bedroom. Faith remembered what the Queen had looked like, but she had forgotten how beautiful she really was. Stepping into the room, the Queen held baby Kera while extending her arm in front of her.

"I suppose you thought that you could change the past to save the future. You people are so simple minded. You can't change the past, because even if you do, something or someone has to take its place. You want to save Connor, but who are willing to sacrifice to do so?" Connor lifted into the air and he reached his hands up to his throat. She was going to kill him if Faith didn't stop her.

"Please, let him go. You have Kera! Just leave!" Tristan laughed.

"It doesn't work that way." Faith pulled a knife from behind her back and threw it at Tristan. The knife hit Tristan square in the shoulder above his heart. Tristan fell to the ground.

"NO!" The queen yelled. Connor dropped to the ground Faith moved to help Connor up. The Queen's hand flew out and the power from her blow threw Sean into the entertainment unit. Sean hit his head and fell to the ground. Faith didn't notice that while she was attempting to help Connor up, Tristan had pulled the knife out of his shoulder and was moving towards them. Pulling the knife up, Tristan plunged the knife forward.

--

"Oz, what are you doing here? We could have killed you." Buffy moved towards her friend and stopped. She forgot that when a person changed into a werewolf they were not wearing anything. Angel stood and handed his coat to Oz. Oz took the coat and put it on.

"Sorry. I was just out looking for…"

"Dinner?" Angel asked. Oz smiled. Buffy moved towards Oz and gave him a hug.

"God! The last time I saw you we were breaking you out of the Initiative. What are you doing in Ireland?"

"Caught up with a werewolf clan when I was touring around the last time. Thought I would come back and be with some of my own kind."

"Makes sense." Angel remarked.

"What are you doing here?" Oz asked as the began to walk towards the lake.

"We moved here. Escaping badness." Buffy said. Oz nodded.

"I understand that." Angel stood at the lakeside and looked up at the moon. It was then that Angel noticed that Oz wasn't changing.

"Buffy told me that you mastered your inner wolf. Didn't believe her."

"Well, here is the proof. Its cool." Silence spread between the three of them as the stood under the full moon.

"Am I the only one who thinks this is a little awkward?" Angel and Oz smiled.

"Well, I suppose we should go. Our evening of hunting is over." Buffy moved towards Angel and touched his shoulder.

"Hunting? All because you heard me?"

"You know me, Slayer instincts."

"Fair enough." Oz looked at the Slayer and vampire and knew that there was something wrong.

"Not that I mean to pry but something up?" Buffy smiled at their old friend and sat down on a fall tree stump.

"We are trying to make sense of life."

"What an impossible task."

"More than you know."

"I don't know, I think I know something about making sense of life." Buffy smiled.

"So, what are you up to?"

"Well, I live here. With an old pack of wolves who have allowed me to join their family. Its been alright I suppose. Met someone, works out well. Don't worry Slayer, we are of no threat to you or anyone else. The pack only hunts once a month on the full moon and its never humans. Which makes them idea for me."

"Sounds like you have your life figured out." Buffy said. Angel turned to Buffy and frowned. Buffy looked at her lover and looked into his eyes.

"What?" Angel moved from the group and smelled the air.

"We are not alone." He said. Oz moved towards the vampire and smelled the air.

"He's right." Oz removed the coat Angel had given him and allowed the moon to transform him. Moving slowly the vampire and werewolf exited the grove. Buffy followed the two men and was about to leave when something grabbed her from behind. Buffy tried to scream but a hand covered her mouth. She was turned around to face two beautiful women. One brought her finger to her mouth motioning for her to be quiet. The other removed their hand and Buffy looked into the black eyes of the woman in front of her.

"Do not say anything. Just listen. We are here to warn you."

"Warn me? Warn me of what?"

"That your daughter is in grave danger."

"News flash, already knew that."

"No, not the baby. Kera from the future. They have done something that will cause more problems then solutions." The black hair woman moved towards the lake. She raised her hands over the water and the water began to shimmer. She extended her hand to the Slayer and waited.

"Look, and you will understand." Buffy stood her ground.

"Who are you?"

"You have nothing to fear. We are two of the three Fates and believe us when we say we are as invested in this fight as you are. Our sister's life depends on the outcome. Come. Look." Buffy moved towards the black haired Fate and looked into the water. What she saw was her old apartment in New York. The Queen of the Beholders was there. Sean was on the ground, so was the adult Kera. Both were bleeding heavily. Tristan was holding a knife that appeared to be pulled from his shoulder. Faith was holding up Connor trying to move him from the middle of the living room. _This wasn't what happened. This is wrong! Connor had been shot, and Faith wasn't there._

"What is going on? What is this?"

"Faith. She wanted to badly to change the past to save the future. Pain and hurt was more than she could bear. She went back in time with Kera and Sean to save Connor. Unfortunately the twins are more linked that we could ever have imagined. Tristan knew, he told the Queen." The red-haired Fate moved towards her sister.

"What you must understand about time is that if you go to change one thing, something has to take its place. Even if Faith could save Connor, someone would have to die in his place."

"If?" Buffy asked.

"That is another thing about Fate, everything happens for a reason. Unfortunately, it is Connor's time." Buffy watched as the knife fell.

**End of Part 3**

**Part 4**

Faith tried to move Connor away from the blade but her efforts were stopped by the Queen's magic. The knife fell hitting Connor in the chest. The knife hit home as it plunged into his heart. Connor's breath caught for a moment and then his body slacked. Faith held her lover as he died, again in her arms.

"You stupid girl! You can't change the past! Things are just meant to be." The Queen lifted Tristan from the ground and brought him towards her. A circle of light surrounded her and they disappeared. Faith's eyes streamed tears as she tried to shake Connor awake.

"Connor! Come on, please! Not again." Connor moved in her arms and he turned to face her. Faith placed her hand on his cheek and tried to steady his head.

"Faith…"

"No, don't talk. Please, I can't lose you again! You need to hang on." Sean and Kera were finally getting up as sirens pierced the night. Kera knew they had to leave. Baby Tristan screamed in the other room. Kera moved to Sean and helped him up.

"We have to go." She said to him. Moving towards Faith she took her hand.

"NO! I won't leave him."

"Faith, we have to go…they can't find us here!" Connor coughed and blood sprayed Faith's shirt.

"Go."

"No, Connor please, you can't die. Not now! Not after I've tried so hard to save you." Her friends were pulling at Faith as she leaned down to kiss Connor.

"I love you."

"I love you." Connor managed. Faith was moved away from the body and was taken from the living room onto the balcony. Kera stood with Sean and Faith as she lifted a small glass jar. She dropped the jar on the balcony. Smoke enveloped the trio, when the smoke cleared they stood in front of Kathy and Dawn. Falling forward, the three friends coughed out smoke. Dawn and Kathy moved towards them and looked them over.

"Go and get the first aid kit." Dawn said to Kathy. Kathy returned moment's later and helped Dawn move each one to the bed. Kathy dabbed at Sean's head and Dawn took care of Kera's head wound. Faith sat alone in the corner as she looked at the full moon.

"Did anything change?" She asked. Dawn and Kathy looked at each other.

"No, the only thing that has changed in our mind is how Connor…" Tears continued to fall down Faith's face. Everything had been a waste. A complete waste. Faith stood and threw open the doors to the bedroom.

"Faith wait!" Dawn yelled. Faith continued on without stopping. Faith exited the house just as rain pounded down from the clouded sky. Faith kept running and didn't stop.

--

Buffy was on the ground as she watched Connor die again. Faith had tried and failed. She looked up at the two women and glared.

"I don't understand. Why show me this when the end is the same?" The black haired Fate moved towards him.

"Who said the end was the same?" Her sister moved towards the Fate of Death and together they disappeared with a flash of lightening. Buffy stood in the rain as Angel and werewolf Oz entered back into the grove.

"Buffy, we should go." Buffy stood and looked at Angel. There was something different about him. Buffy nodded and followed Oz and Angel out of the grove. A group of people were standing before them. Oz moved towards them and shook hands with the leader. Angel shook hands as well. _What?_

"How are you Angelus?"

"I've been better." Angel moved back towards Buffy and took her hand.

"Can we make a stop before we go home. I just want to see him." Buffy nodded slowly and moved with her lover as the wolf pack leads them to a large vineyard with a huge home situated in the middle. Together they walked through the vines of grapes used to make wine and entered the house from a back door. Waiting for them was another group of people who were holding towels. Buffy dried her hair as the leader moved them through some long corridors and finally opened a door. In the middle of the room was a bed. On the bed was a body, leading from the body was wires and tubes containing blood and other medications. Slowly a machine breathed for the man on the bed. Angel moved towards the bed and took the hand of the man. Buffy walked slowly towards the bed and put her hand to her mouth. The man in the bed…was Connor.

To be continued…


	10. Chapter 10

**Immortal: the Virtual Series**  
Episode 3.10: Twilight Rises  
Written by The Main Slayer  
Rating K+

**Part 1**

_**The moon rises above the darkened sky.  
The moon rises to expose the hidden secrets of the night.  
The moon rises, beckoning night's creatures to roam free.  
The moon rises, drawing in yearning and fantasy.  
The Main Slayer**_

_A funny thing happened to me years ago. I loved someone once. Sure, this is nothing that is new, but it was like I had no idea where I began and she ended. We were like one person, and my fear of who I was forced me to destroy any chance of happiness I might have had. I left to "discover" myself…you know, I think most people have to do that once in their lives, but for me, I had to discover the wolf. I came to Ireland; I met up with a wolf pack that had been living here for centuries. Hiding from the humans, living as normally as possible. They had even mastered the ability to walk around during a full moon without changing. They took me in; they showed me their ways. I thought that I had figured it out; so I went back, but turns out I could never be with her again. She brought out the wolf in me; I lost control…nearly got myself killed. We said our final goodbye. I will always love her. So I came back and Damien allowed me to stay. I forged a new life for myself; I never thought my old life would ever return…still, might be interesting…_

Buffy wasn't sure what to make of the situation and what she had seen in the river. She clearly remembered Connor dying. Remembered the pain and sadness that fell upon her family because of her son's actions. But she could also remember Angel bringing him here. A secret that only the two of them knew about. Which set of memories was real, she had no idea, but Connor was there. In that bed, hooked up to several machines with a constant blood supply running into his system. She walked up to the bed and touched his hand. _What happened?_ She turned to Angel and saw him talking to Oz. Walking away from Connor she moved towards Angel and took his hand. Angel looked down at her and smiled.

"So, any better than yesterday?" Angel asked.

"Not really. Things are progressing slowly. We aren't a real hospital, this will probably take a lot longer than normal."

"I understand."

"But, things are looking good. It looks like he might actually pull through." Oz smiled at Buffy who smiled back. It was at that moment she decided not to ask questions. She needed to find those two Fates. She had so many questions for them, questions that only they could answer.

--

"What the hell do we do now?" Kera asked. Dawn, Kathy and Sean were all sitting at the kitchen table trying to make sense of that last couple of hours.

"We need to find Faith. She could do something she might regret." Kathy said slowly.

"Are you kidding? When Faith disappears, she really disappears. It is impossible to find her. When she took off after Wood died, come on, there was no way of finding her. She came back on her own…but this time is different." Dawn lowered her head and ran her hands through her hair.

"Do we tell Buffy and Angel?" Sean asked. The three girls looked up at their friend and shook their heads together.

"No. If we tell them we messed with time, again in my case, they will lose it. I know my parents, cardinal rule number one…don't mess with time." Kera said as she paced the room.

"Fine, what do we tell them about Faith?"

"We tell them she took off. She needed to get away."

"What if she…"

"I know! Even though we tell them a little white lie, we have to find her as a group. There has to be a way to find her. We will ask around town, check airports, train stations; dockyards…do whatever we have to in order to find out where she went. I can contact my aunt Willow from the future…"

"Willow!" Dawn exclaimed standing up. Her friends looked at her quizzically, "we can get a hold of Willow. Last I heard she and Kennedy were in this part of the world. Maybe she can help us out."

"It's an idea, but I'll still contact my Willow…she knows a lot more."

"So, its agreed, we lie. We find Faith and we fix this." Kathy said.

"Agreed." They said in unison.

--

The Queen had never felt angrier before in her life. She had spent hours of magic healing Tristan's wounds and making sure that he was ready for their next move. Every time she had tried to get a hold of the baby Kera the Slayer and Vampire had stopped her. She had taken great lengths to bring Tristan to her side. It had worked in her benefit, for a while. The link between Tristan and Kera was too strong. They knew each other moves and motives; she knew that twins are more receptive of each other, but because of their magical conception, the connection was far greater than she ever anticipated. It had its benefits of course, the last couple of hours attested to that, but there had to be a way to sever it. It was time to play her wild card. Moving away from her sitting chamber, the Queen went to her looking glass and tapped it twice. An image swirled in the dome and a man appeared. She moved her arm and placed her hand into the image. Closing her eyes, she allowed her whole body to be consumed. The dome shifted and turned into water like substance. It expanded and enveloped her entire body. When she opened her eyes she was standing in the middle of a large cave. A man approached her and she smiled. Taking hold of her, the man kissed her passionately. Breaking the kiss, the Queen smiled at him.

"Its been too long, my Queen." He said to her. Smiling, she touched her hand to his face walking away. Her hips swayed as she stood at a large opening. Below her a pack of animals, wolves, spared and trained.

"Well, the opportunity to come and see you has not presented itself."

"Last I heard you had a new pet." The Queen smiled.

"He is a necessity. Crucial to my plans. You, you are something entirely different."

"What do you want?"

"Demanding aren't we?" The Queen teased. The man folded his arms and cocked his head, "Fine. I need you to play your part. Its time to do what I asked you all those years ago."

"What makes you think I want to help you?" The Queens eyes narrowed and turned black.

"If you want to stay the leader of this pack, you will do what I ask you." She took hold of his throat and pushed him up against the wall, "The only reason you are leader is because I made you leader a millennium ago. Don't you dare forget who owns you." The man nodded his head and the Queen dropped him.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want your little pack of wolves to eliminate a certain pain in my side…a young woman." The Queen threw him a picture. Smiling in the photo was a mother and father with their children. The mother and father her recognized as well as one of the sons, but the other two were unfamiliar.

"You want me to get rid of the daughter?"

"Yes. Oh, and the son."

"Which one?"

"The one you are currently trying to save."

"What did he do to you?"

"Nothing, I just don't want to see him alive. Sometimes the only way to get something done right, is to do it yourself. Just do it, or you Damien will no longer be leader of the pack." The Queen disappeared and Damien moved towards the opening the Queen once stood before. Below his pack trained and meditated. He had perfected being a werewolf, however, much of that was attributed to the Queen and her magic's. There was no way he would allow her to take from him what he had. There was only one choice, do what she asked. Damien furrowed his brow and allowed his fangs to expose themselves.

"Time to take out the trash."

**End of Part 1**

**Part 2**

Oz stood over Connor and watched his chest rise and fall. They were doing everything they could, but he wasn't sure if it would be good enough. He wished that Angel would take him to a normal hospital, but Angel was so sure that the only way to keep Connor safe was to make the world think he was dead. Turning around, Oz saw a dark figure in the shadows. Squinting, Damien moved into view.

"Dude, don't do that."

"Sorry, just wanted to give you a moment." Damien moved towards the young man and picked up his wrist. Damien had to think fast, he couldn't just kill Connor, he would have to make sure it was done under the radar.

"Any progress?"

"Not a lot. I am still trying to get Angel to take him to a real hospital, but he won't."

"I agree with him. We are doing just as much as a hospital would, at least here he is safe." Oz nodded.

"Yeah, but still. Just doesn't seem right."

"Oz please, you need to trust Angel's judgment. It's his son, let him do what he wants with his well being." Damien dropped Connor's hand and moved around to where Oz was standing, "Besides, I think that we might have developed a new drug that will make his progress much more promising. Trust me, I know how to take care of my own."

"Sure. Thanks for doing this for them."

"My pleasure." Oz left the room. Once he was gone, Damien took out of a vile and syringe. Filling the syringe, Damien injected it into Connor's arm. _This will do the trick_. Damien couldn't afford anyone finding out it was him who dosed Connor, but if he didn't get rid of him, everything he had worked for would be gone. Leaving Connor, Damien needed to figure out how to get the girl. There was only one man who would be willing to kill a civilian, Rock.

--

Buffy and Angel arrived home to find everyone in the kitchen having coffee. Dawn looked up at her sister and smiled. Kathy had taken Sean to their bedroom in order to make sure that his wounds were properly dressed so that Buffy and Angel wouldn't ask too many questions. Kera was sitting with Dawn running through her head the story she was about to spin to her parents.

"Fresh coffee?" Buffy asked. The girls nodded. Buffy poured Angel and herself a cup and then sat with Kera and Dawn.

"What wrong?" She asked. Kera took a breath.

"Faith took off. Said she couldn't take it anymore. We woke up to find this note." Kera handed her parents a doctored note.

_Buffy, please don't be angry with me. I though that by coming here and being surrounded by people I cared about would make things easier. But it doesn't. I finally understand what you meant when you told me that the pain of killing Angel consumed your life. The pain of losing Connor is more than I can stand. Please forgive me, I don't know how long I will be gone, or where I am going. Don't look for me. Just let me figure this out. Faith_

Buffy handed the note to Angel who read it over. Buffy knew that Faith had loved Connor, she had never expected how much. She remembered talking to Faith about killing Angel once, but she couldn't recall if she had told her how she felt about it. Buffy frowned and thought back, she must have. She just didn't remember. Angel put the note down and looked at his daughter.

"She'll be back. She always comes back." Kera nodded and turned when Kathy and Sean came in the room.

"What happened to you?" Angel asked.

"Vampires. Saw some outside our window earlier on. Thought I could take them out on my own…seems I was mistaken." Angel glared at the young man who shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I guess that's it then."

"What's it?" Kera asked. Buffy tried to formulate words, but she wasn't really able to figure out where she had been going with that comment.

"I guess, I don't know…what happens next? We make this big move, where we know nobody only to bury someone we love more than anything…what do we do? Move on?" No one had an answer for her. Their lives were so different now; no one had expected all of this to happen.

"Well, what more can we do, other than move on?" Kera asked, "If there is one thing I learn from you is that the only way to heal is to move on. You just keep going, its something we have to do whether we want to or not."

"Besides, we have a wedding coming up don't we?" Dawn said, "There is still a lot to be done. It will keep us distracted." Buffy smiled. She had nearly forgotten that her wedding was coming up. Before they had left New York, she had made sure to amend the location of the wedding. So many people would be arriving in a couple of days for her wedding to Angel and she hadn't even picked out a dress yet. Angel rubbed his eyes and put his cup away.

"I think I am going to take a nap." He kissed Buffy and left the room. Buffy knew what Angel was going through but he had no idea what was going on in her head. She was the only one with two sets of memories. There had to be a way to locate those Fates. Willow would be arriving soon for the wedding, maybe she could ask her friend about it. If there was anyone who knew how to converse with the afterlife it was Willow. Buffy looked at her sister, daughter, sister-in-law and Sean.

"Well, I guess we move on. What time is it?"

"Five in the morning." Kathy said.

"Well, we have a full day ahead of us. I have a lot of planning to do and not a moment to lose. So might as well get started."

"We can run around for you…find locations or shops or something." Kera said.

"Good idea. Kathy and Sean can you find a local florist shop so we can order the roses? Oh, and maybe a bakery…suppose I need a cake. A lot of it I already have, linens and set up, favours and bridesmaid dresses…oh we need tuxes for the guys…"

"What about your dress? You don't have one of those yet." Dawn said.

"Guess that is kind of important."

"Kind of?" Dawn raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, so dress shopping. I need a location too…no church. Angel hates them. We will also need a JOP, not a minister. Its not every day a vampire gets married…"

"Don't worry. We, the four of us, we will take care of it. Besides, exploring Galway Ireland will be fun. Its not every day you get to live here." Kathy said smiling. The group burst into laughter at her comment. It had been a while since any of them had laughed. Buffy put her cup in the sink and moved towards the door.

"I'm going to check on the twins. Be ready to shop by 9." She left the four friends alone and once they knew she was gone Kera turned around determined.

"Okay, we have our cover. This is the perfect way we can get out and about and try to locate Faith."

"Do you think she bought the note?"

"Hard to tell but for now, its working. Get a hold of Willow, find out if we can get her to come down here sooner than two weeks from now. We need all the help we can get. We need to make sure to get done what needs to be done and look everywhere for Faith." The group nodded. Leaving the kitchen, they went into their respective rooms and got ready for the long day ahead of them.

--

Kathy and Sean had spent the better part of the morning talking to a florist who didn't want to place their large order of roses for the wedding. Kathy had to beg and plead with the florist to order over 500 red and white roses to compliment the wedding colours. After hours of deciding on arrangements and ordering the right type, all the flowers were ordered and would arrive within two weeks time. The florist was going to make a huge amount of money, and when Kathy told them that their name would be everywhere for people to see, they got what they wanted. Then she had spent the next four hours sampling cake after cake for her sister-in-law. Buffy had originally wanted a chocolate and white cake but the baker wasn't sure he could create what she wanted. So, they settled on a simple white cake, three tiers, with accents of red and icing roses. It was a simple cake but it would have to do. It definitely wasn't enough to feed the entire wedding, but the baker said that he would create the 300 smaller cakes to compliment the larger one. When that was done, Kathy and Sean began their search for Faith. They first hit local dive where they heard runaways went. The caretaker said that he had seen their girl they were looking for but she only stayed the one night, last night. He said that she took off at dawn but hadn't told him where she was going. Sean asked the caretaker where the nearest dockyard was and together Kathy and Sean took a cab to Midnight Docks, the only place that allowed for ships to come into the city. Midnight Docks was outside of Galway itself but they were willing to go and pay the money for the cab in order to find Faith. Once there, the guard said that no one matching Faith's description was on the last transport. That wasn't to say that she hadn't snuck onto the boat or a cargo ship but the guard wasn't about to let them go snooping around the docks. Sean and Kathy decided that they would have to come back at night when no one was around and check around. They took the cab back into town and were just in time to meet Buffy, Dawn and Kera at a local café. Kathy sat down with the girls while Sean ordered them some drinks.

"After some serious finagling, we finally got the flowers ordered. They were not incredibly impressed to order that many roses, but it's done. All 500 plus roses have been ordered and should be here in time. Also, the cake has been chosen. Only white unfortunately but what can you do on such short notice."

"Good. Dawn and Kera found the perfect location. Our backyard. When I looked at it this morning with them, it made the most sense. Anywhere else is going to be booked up, so it's easiest to do it at the house. I went to the courthouse here and managed to get a JOP to do the ceremony. So, all we have to do now is get the dresses. We can order the tuxes no problem; it's the dresses that will be the problem. They are all going to have to be off the rack because we don't have the time to order them."

"Fair enough." Dawn said. Sean sat down and handed Kathy her coffee.

"Well, we have a lot of day left, we should dress shop." Sean drank his coffee and looked at the group of girls.

"Well that is something you don't need me for," He looked at Kera and smiled, "I should, uh, go and do what Angel asked me to do."

"What was that?"

"Uh, an errand for the wedding that you are not allowed knowing about."

"Must be about the honeymoon." Buffy said. Sean shrugged.

"Okay, well we will see you back at the house then." Kathy said. Sean stood and left the shop. This gave him the opportunity to search around some more. So far, nothing had turned up regarding Faith. Nothing but a bunch of dead ends and random sightings. The last of which was at the airport.

--

Damien paced his den as he tried to think of ways to get the girl. In four days was the full moon; the hunt would take place on the night of the full moon. The only way he saw killing the girl was that night. There were some cases of civilians dying during the hunt; unfortunately he couldn't use the girl as the object of the hunt for they had already chosen their human. But, if they released the human in the same area of the girl, Damien would be able to kill the girl "by accident." There was a knock at the door. Damien stopped pacing and turned to face the door.

"Come." The door opened and a female wolf came in. Her dark hair cascaded down her shoulders and her shapely figure left nothing to the imagination. Damien walked towards her and kissed her. His hands moved down her back and held her tightly to him. Breaking the kiss the woman stepped away from Damien and shook her finger.

"I'm not that easy."

"Yes you are."

"Please."

"Is everything on schedule?" Damien asked. Karen sat down in a large chair and crossed her legs.

"Yes, but I'm not sure why you wanted us to change where the hunt was taking placed. But it's done."

"Good. Just make sure no one figure out what we are doing."

"What are we doing Damien? You're not telling me anything yet you expect me to follow you. Why should we do what she asks us?"

"Because, I will lose everything if I don't. Do you want to be my mate or not? If you do and you want to remain in control of this pack you will do what I tell you without question."

"I am not questioning you, I just don't understand why she holds so much over you."

"She just does. Stop questioning me! Are you giving our patient his medication?"

"Yes. Everyday. Shouldn't be much longer. I never liked the kid anyway. What will you do if Oz finds out?" Damien turned away from Karen.

"He won't. Oz is a pathetic werewolf who wouldn't know if someone one was against him if his life depended on it. The only reason I keep that idiot around is because you have a little thing for him."

"I do not. I just think he is a little lost dog."

"Well, the little dog needs to stay out of what we are doing."

"He won't be a problem."

"Good. Now come here. It has been nighttimes since our last…" Karen moved towards him and allowed her inner wolf to transform her. Damien smiled and transformed allowing all wolf instincts to take over. Little did they know someone had been watching them. The shadow left the two wolves to their mating ritual and moved towards the back rooms. Slowly she moved towards the infirmary where Connor was. She had never met Connor before, but Angel had talked about him. She looked at the solution running into his IV. She had no idea that Damien was slowly poisoning Connor. There had to be something she could do. She had to warn Oz; Oz would make sure that Angel found out. Leaving Connor, Nina moved towards the dormitory halls. She had met Oz once when she arrived. When Angel had left Los Angeles, there wasn't much for Nina. She had no idea what she was going to do with her life now that she was a werewolf. She had gone to see Wesley and he had suggested she come to Ireland to meet up with Damien. Damien had taken her in because she had seemed desperate and because she was cute. Nina found Oz's room and knocked on the door. Oz opened the door and she smiled.

"Hi." She said.

"Hey, Nina right?"

"Yeah. Can I come in?" She asked. Oz shrugged and opened the door. Oz was wearing only his sweatpants and Nina looked around. Oz had been working out. Out of all the werewolves here, he was the only one who never transformed unless it was a full moon. All the others transformed whenever they wanted; but Oz he was more reserved, like she was. Oz picked up his shirt and slipped it on.

"Something I can do for you?"

"Yeah, we need to get Connor out of here." Oz furrowed his brow and crossed his arms.

"What are you talking about?"

"Damien is poisoning him. I heard him talking to Karen."

"What?"

"I swear it. He and Karen are planning something. They were talking about someone who had something on Damien. Whoever the person was told him to kill Connor and some other person. They changed the pattern of the hunt; there is some alternate motive behind this. I need your help. Please, I know you don't know me, but you have to trust me."

"Say you are right, how can the two of us do anything?"

"Don't patronize me, I know what I heard." Nina said.

"I'm not, I just, I don't want to jump to conclusions with no grounds to them."

"So what, you want to go and ask him?" Oz lowered his head and put his hands on his hips.

"What is your suggestion?"

"We need to catch him poisoning Connor. Do you know anyone working on him?"

"Not specifically. I tend to keep to myself."

"I do."

"Why are you helping? That is the only part in this that doesn't make sense."

"I know Angel…he helped me and his friends told me to come to the pack. I was turned and Angel he was kind and wanted to help me out. He did more for me than anyone ever did. I owe him."

"Okay, so we have four days till the hunt. Prove it to me and I will help you."

"Done." Nina left Oz alone and walked towards her own room. She needed to make sure no one found her out. If she were found out it would all be over. She needed to talk to Amelia before anyone got to her, specifically Karen. She would prove that something was wrong, no matter how far it took her.

**End of Part 2**

**Part 3**

Buffy had spent the majority of the afternoon trying on dress after dress before she finally decided to give up. There was no way she was going to find a dress off the rack that she was completely in love with. If only she had gotten on this earlier. _Oh yeah, my life is a roller coaster and there is no way of actually knowing what is going to happen next._ Her life as the Slayer had gotten in the way more times that she could count. Even with her limited position, everything got in the way of her being happy. Buffy told Kera, Dawn and Kathy to go a do something more fun than hanging out with her. The bridesmaid's gowns were easier to find but she just couldn't find the right dress for herself. Buffy was about to go home when out of the corner of her eye something caught her eye. Walking towards the window, Buffy touched the glass slowly. It was beautiful and it was exactly what she had been looking for. Buffy walked into the store and saw only a single girl working behind the desk. She walked up to her and noticed she was wearing headphones. She tapped the girl on the shoulder and she looked up. Smiling, she removed her earphones.

"Hi! Sorry, when I do paper work, I have to listen to music other than what we play in here. My mother says it's soothing to play "wedding" music to make our customers feel better. What can I do for you?"

"There is a dress in the window. I want to try it on."

"Sure, which one?"

"The red and white one. The red bodice and white bottom with red accent on the skirt." The girl smiled and walked to the window.

"Not many people want that type of dress when they get married. They think it is bad luck to wear a colour on their wedding day. Like they are going to be cursed or something. My mother created this dress on a whim. It has sat in the window for months." The girl took the dress of the manikin and held it before Buffy, "it comes in one size, 6." The dress was perfect. The bodice was a deep red with a dipped oval front and back. Form fitting and sleeveless the top came down into a slight point at the waist. The skirt of the dress was white with a long train; at the back there were several pleats that flowed down the back of the dress. Each pleat was inlaid with red lace and detailing. It was perfect. Everything about it cried out to Buffy and she knew that she had to have it. The girl gave Buffy the dress and put her in a room. Buffy didn't really know what size she was after the birth of her twins, but she knew that she couldn't be much bigger than a six. She had worked really hard after the birth to obtain her figure. Stepping into the dress Buffy thought for a single moment how much she wished that her mother were here. Pulling the dress up and over her shoulders Buffy twisted to reach the zipper. A hand came through the curtain and Buffy turned.

"Please, I'm sorry. I don't mean to frighten you. My name is Maria; I am the owner and designer of _Bliss_. May I?" Buffy turned and allowed her to zip up the dress. The zipper slid up her back perfectly. Buffy stepped out of the dressing room and stepped onto the small stool. Maria pulled the dress around the stool and allowed Buffy to look herself over. This was it, this was the dress.

"I designed this dress from a dream. Silly I know, but ever since I put it in the window I haven't had much business. Only specialty items. No on walks in off the street anymore. They seem to think that a dress with the colour of blood is a curse. This looks absolutely amazing on you." Buffy smiled. She didn't care about the colour; something told her that Angel would find the colour amusing.

"It's beautiful and perfect. It's a little long…"

"No problem, I can hem it for you. When do you need it by?"

"Two weeks."

"No problem. It is good to know that the dress will find a home finally." Maria moved away from Buffy and picked up her measuring kit and some pins.

"Oh shit. I don't have my shoes…actually I don't have any shoes."

"No problem, we are a full service shop." Maria left Buffy for a moment and emerged with some shoeboxes. Opening them she removed a coupe of pairs of shoes. One was a pair of white satin and red inlay; another was solid red; and the third was a red and white ballet slipper style shoe. The solid red shoe had a slight heal to it and the white was larger. Buffy tried on all three pairs thinking in her mind what her backyard was like. Should she go with a heel or should she were flat? Angel was over six feet tall; if she wore flats he would tower over her. She settled on the white satin shoes with the red inlay. Maria hemmed the dress and moved towards a jewelry cabinet. She unlocked the case and took out a single piece. It was a necklace and earring set.

"I think if it's not to bold of me, that you should try these with it." The necklace was a simple white gold and ruby set with teardrop earrings. Buffy traced her hand along the necklace. Maria placed the necklace around her neck and Buffy stared at herself in the mirror. This was it, her dress, her shoes, her jewelry, her wedding.

"This is perfect, now the question is how much?" Buffy asked.

"For everything, 3000. The dress is 1500, the shoes are 350 and the necklace set is 1000…only because it's pure white gold and real rubies. And of course your applicable taxes." Buffy sighed. More than she was willing to spend, but would Angel really object? He had a lot of money and he said he would pay anything…

"Okay."

"Great! I will have everything ready for you in a week and half. That way if anything needs to be changed, I can."

"Perfect." Buffy took one last look in the mirror and smiled.

--

They had been looking for three days and were no closer to finding Faith than they were before. Kathy and Sean decided to take a break from searching to run one more errand for Buffy's wedding plans and to spend some time together. Kathy wondered if they were even meant to find Faith. Maybe she just needed to be alone. She could certainly understand that. Kathy sighed and Sean gripped her hand tighter.

"What's on your mind?" He asked.

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"Maybe, maybe Faith doesn't want to be found. Maybe we should let her come back to us. It's been three days, and we are no closer to finding her. The wedding is in less than two weeks, maybe we should just let it go."

"You are not the only one thinking that. Kera is just worried that Faith might do something she will regret. We really messed with things, this could change the future for Kera more than we can understand."

"I get that. I do, but look what happened with me. My family was pulled from the past and I stayed. That didn't do as much damage as we thought it would."

"We still don't know the repercussions from your time jump. Things could still come up." Kathy hit Sean.

"Don't say that. Can we just pretend that nothing is going to happen to me?"

"I don't want anything to happen to you but it's a possibility." Sean said rubbing his arm.

"Fine. But I just think we should forget it. Live in the now. Faith will come back; she always does."

"Well, we can always talk to Kera, but I already know her answer. We might as well keep up with what we are doing until something breaks. You never know we might actually find her."

"Maybe, but I'm skeptical." Sean took Kathy's hand and squeezed. They continued to walk down the street oblivious to the person following them.

--

Damien was growing impatient. He was sure that someone in the pack had figured out what was going on but he had no idea who it was. Karen had said that someone had tampered with Connor's medication and that he was no longer receiving the injections set up by Damien. The Queen was going to have his head if he didn't kill Connor or the girl. He had to figure out who it was. He had sent for Oz nearly three hours ago. Tonight was the hunt and he had to make sure that Oz was not going to be a problem. There was a knock at the door and Oz entered the room. Damien motioned for Oz to come in and then asked him to sit.

"I need a favour of you."

"Sure. Anything."

"We are your family, right? You would do anything for us?" Damien asked.

"Sure. You have given me a lot Damien. You and the pack. In all reality, I don't have anything else." Damien smiled and picked up a envelop on his desk.

"Tonight is the hunt and I want you to sideline yourself," He tossed the envelope across the desk and Oz put a single hand on it, "You need to do some recon for me. According to some of my sources, your ex-witch is coming to town for the big wedding. She should be arriving sometime this afternoon. I want you to make sure she doesn't interfere with the hunt."

"Why would she? Its not like she has any interest in…"

"Don't question me!" Damien gained his composure and looked at Oz, "You have to trust me. Most humans don't understand our hunt. The people here know we do it once a month and we leave them alone. We previously select, etcetera. But, they might not understand. You need to keep them away from our hunt.  
Do I make myself clear?" Oz lowered his head.

"Yeah. I'll make sure that they don't interfere."

"Good. One more thing…do you know who changed Connor's medication?"

"No, why would I know that?"

"We are trying to save his life. The formula I created was helping, someone changed it I thought because you spend time with the boy you might have seen something."

"No, I didn't." Damien smiled and waved his hand for Oz to leave. Oz left the room and Damien swung his chair around to face the wall of the cave. It was funny how they still had to hide themselves from the world like they were dogs. One day he would rule over the humans and they would be his slaves. With Oz gone, he could find out who was messing with his plans. He had to finish this and soon or he was over.

--

Oz left Damien's office sure of what Nina had told him. Damien was trying to kill Connor. Why? It didn't make any sense to Connor at all. There are had to be a reason. He had to talk to Buffy and Angel. Willow…god, he hadn't seen her in years. First he had to find Nina. Nina wasn't in her room when he went knocking. Neither was Susan, the girl who changed Connor's medication. For a moment, Oz stopped and smelled the air. He caught Nina's sent and followed his nose. There were some good things about being a werewolf; a keen sense of smell was one of them. Oz followed his nose and found himself in front of a large steel door. _When did this get here?_ Oz had never seen the door before and had no idea where it led. There was a small window on the door. Slowly, Oz opened the window. Inside was Nina and her friend Susan. They were chained to the wall, blood pouring out of cuts on their arms, face, and body. _Shit._ Nina was telling the truth. They were trying to kill Connor. Oz closed the window and looked around him. No one was around, Oz allowed himself to transform. Oz placed his large claws on the frame of the door and gripped tightly. Using all his strength, Oz pulled on the door. The door buckled slightly under the strength of the wolf. Oz took a giant step back and braced himself again. Pulling a second time, Oz managed to break the door off the hinges; throwing the door aside, Oz let go of the wolf and stepped into the cell. Nina looked up and smiled.

"I told you so." Oz smiled back and went towards them. He had yet to perfect only transforming certain parts of his body, but he was able to concentrate hard enough to get his hand to change into his massive…was paw the right word? Ripping the chains Nina and Susan fell down onto the ground.

"Can you walk?" He asked them. They nodded. Together the three wolves left the cell and headed towards the nearest exit. Oz was careful not to arouse attention, but most of the wolves were at the start line for the hunt.

"What do you know about the change in location for the hunt?" Oz asked. Susan looked up.

"I heard something about that. Damien has something else planned; some of the other wolves are talking. They think he might be out to kill another human other than the one we have."

"Why would he do that?" Nina asked.

"No idea. Damien has changed, or else he was always like this and we were all so blind that we didn't notice. If anyone knows it's going to be Karen."

"We don't have time to get to her. We need to get Connor out of here and I need to go to Angel." Oz stopped the group as three wolves walked past them. Breathing slowly, Oz waited for them to leave and they silently moved towards where Connor was being held. Opening the door, Oz let the other two in. He turned to find that Connor was gone.

"Shit! Where did they take him?" Susan moved towards the bed and noticed his chart sitting on the sheets. She picked it up and lowered her head.

"Doesn't look good. Whatever they were giving him, he was crashing."

"We need to find him."

"There is no way of knowing where they took him." Nina said.

"Okay, fine. We have to get to Angel."

"By now they will have noticed we are gone. How do we get out?" Nina asked. Susan dropped the chart and went to the back of the room. Pushing on a small stone, a secret door opened.

"This way." Together, the three rouge wolves left the room and headed out into the night.

--

Willow's plan landed around 11pm. She left the plane feeling sicker than she ever had in her life. She would normally say she was a good flyer, considering she did it herself all the time, but that was the worst flight ever. She promised Giles not to use magic to get to Ireland just in case so she had chosen to fly commercially. _Never again will I do that._ Dawn and Kera were waiting for her in the lounge. Hugging Dawn first, Willow regarded Kera with a nod of the head. Kera looked a little disappointed but what did she expect? She had lied to them all for months, and she had traveled through time. Big mistake. Willow grabbed her bags and together they left the airport. In the car, the silence was killing Willow.

"Okay, silence is death. What is going on that was so important that I had to come down here early?"

"Well, we…kind of made a mistake."

"What kind of mistake?"

"We traveled back in time to save Connor, only the Queen knew what we were doing because of the connection between Tristan and Kera…we really could have screwed things up. We didn't save him, and then Faith took off and we can't find her…can you fix it?" Dawn rambled in one breath.

"Dawn, you should know better then that."

"I should know better then that…" Kera said. Willow put a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"You didn't screw everything up. The end result was still the same. Nothing changed there. That is what you need to worry about with time travel, changing the outcome. Faith will come back, you can't force her to be around people when she doesn't want to…" Just was Willow was attempting to finish her sentence three shapes ran across the front of their car. The last hit the car in the side and made the car swerve. The girls screamed and the car came to a screeching halt. Willow's head flew forward and she lifted it slowly. Looking around, she made sure that Dawn and Kera were okay.

"Everyone okay?" She asked. The girls nodded slowly.

"What was that?"

"No idea, stay here." Willow said as she got out of the back of the car. She closed the door and surveyed the damage to the car. Angel was not going to be happy about this. On the ground was a man, surrounding him were three werewolves. _Oh god!_ Willow slowly backed away, but noticed that the man on the ground was someone she knew. Slowly the two other wolves transformed and put their hands up.

"Wait!" They said. Willow noticed that the man on the ground was Oz.

"Oz! Oh my god! Are you okay?" Willow asked as she knelt beside him. Oz slowly opened his eyes and looked into the face of his true love. Slowly he sat up and rubbed his head.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you guys okay?" Willow nodded and helped up Oz.

"We are okay. The car isn't, but I'm sure Angel will understand why you ran into us." Oz laughed.

"We were on our way to see him actually. We have a very big problem." Oz said.

"Yes you do." Damien stepped out of the shadows. Surrounding the group was the entire pack of werewolves. Oz stepped in front of Willow standing off against Damien.

"Damien, what are you doing?"

"Well, I know what you are not doing…I told you to keep the witch away. But did you listen, no you broke out the two women who were trying to kill Connor…"

"No!" Damien put up his hand.

"And then you decided to drop the witch right in our hunt path. The human we chose, got away because of your little distraction, but I suppose the night isn't a total write off. You delivered us not one human, but three." Oz furrowed his brow and held his arms out to his sides.

"I won't let you hurt them."

"Are you going to chose them over your family! We took care of you! We helped you and now you are turning your back on us!"

"You are evil. There is something wrong with you Damien. I don't know what it is, but you are the one who is evil, not me. Not them." Damien laughed.

"Unfortunately for you, I have them. What do you have?"

"Us." Out of the darkness stood Angel, Buffy, Sean, Kathy and Faith.

"Faith!" Kera cried.

"Thought I left didn't you. Family doesn't leave family." Faith pulled a pure silver knife from behind her back and pointed it at Damien. Angel and Buffy held silver swords while Kathy began to chant an ancient incantation. Willow smiled, a protective circle. Sean unhooked a bow and arrow set. Damien noticed that they were silver tipped.

"You can't win. You aren't meant to win."

"Maybe not, but at least we can take you out before the end comes." Angel said. Oz, Nina and Susan all transformed. Baring their teeth the three wolves waited for the attack. For a moment Damien hesitated. He knew that the pack could take them, but he wasn't sure where the pack allegiances lied. All he had to do was kill Connor and the girl. The girl was standing beside the car. Karen was right behind her. He could still win. He could still take her out. Nodding his head, Karen turned herself and grabbed Kera. Kera screamed. Angel turned around and stepped forward.

"Don't bother. We will finish our hunt. I will allow let her kill the girl. Back off, or she dies."

"Do you think I am an idiot? You will kill her anyway."

"You are right. We will."

"No, no you won't." A knife sliced through the night and hit home in the heart of Karen. Stepping from the shadows was someone the group never thought they would see again.

**End of Part 3**

**Part 4**

The Queen was watching as the events unfolded themselves. She had been failed again. All she had asked was a simple thing to be done. Kill two people. Werewolves could handle that, they could have turned them, they could have slit their throats, but no…Damien was an idiot. Just like the rest of her help. Anger flowed through her body; her eyes darkened and her white radiant hair turned as black as the night. Laughter resonated through her empty chambers. A figured stepped from the shadows clapping his hands.

"Well, I never thought I would see the day. Nothing going your way? You shouldn't use half-wit lackeys to do your work. It's so much easier when you do it yourself." The Lord of the Underworld walked around the room as the Queen's hands formed fists.

"You are not helping me by making fun of my efforts."

"I am not making fun of you my Queen, I am merely pointing out that your efforts are not working."

"I've noticed."

"I suppose I will just have to do things my way."

"May I make a suggestion?" The Lord took hold of her hands and touched her face. Instantly the Queen's eyes turned blue and her hair lightened. He always knew how to get her to relax.

"What is your suggestion, my Lord?" The Queen asked.

"Stop it all."

"Stop what?"

"Everything. Everything that happened is because the Slayer and Vampire are together. Maybe instead of destroying Kera you need to destroy them." The Queen smiled at the ruler of the Underworld and laughed.

"You are helping me, I thought you wanted to remain neutral?"

"I am, who is to say I won't now go and tell Angel and Buffy what you are planning?"

"You won't, because I know your secret. Your life hangs in the balance just like mine. Thank you my love, for your suggestion."

"What about your wolves?" The Queen let go of the Lord's hand and moved back to her looking sphere. The wolf pack was in shock as to who was standing before them, not the Queen. She knew that the vampire would do whatever it took to save his son.

"I'll let them be. Damien can now fall, he doesn't deserve my help." The Queen waved her hand and the sphere darkened. Leaving the Lord alone, the Queen began to plan her next move.

--

Karen fell to the ground letting go of Kera. Kera looked into the face of Connor, the person she never thought she would see again. Faith dropped her knife and fell to the ground. Connor fell next to her and wrapped his arms around her small shaking frame. Damien stared at Connor in disbelief.

"How?" Oz allowed himself to return to his human form and smiled.

"You are under the assumption that I didn't already tell Angel about your plan. As soon as Nina came to me I went to Angel. I knew that she was telling me the truth; you are not worthy of being our leader. You were in line with the Queen. I saw you two together…Damien, its over."

"It's not! The pack follows me." Rock moved away from Damien and stood next to Oz.

"No, we don't."

"It's over, Damien." Oz waited only a moment. He knew that Damien would not give up without a fight. Damien screamed and turned into his wolf form. Oz stepped aside for Angel. Before Damien could move, Angel brought his sword out in front of him and brought it down. The sword sliced through Damien's arm. The wolf howled in pain; Angel pulled back and let the blade slide into the heart of the wolf. Letting go of the sword, the wolf leader fell to the ground. Rock turned to Oz and put his hand out.

"Turns out you were right. I owe you an apology."

"No need. Makes sense that you wouldn't believe me." Rock smiled.

"Well, looks like our hunt is over." He turned as the pack melted into the darkness. Rock left Oz with his friends. Nina and Susan waited as Oz turned to his old life.

"Well, thanks."

"No, thank you. You saved my son." Angel shook Oz's hand. Connor and Faith were still on the ground as Faith held tightly to Connor's body. Willow wasn't sure what to say to her ex. The last time she saw him he tried to kill Tara. Of course it didn't help that Willow kept a huge secret from him when he came back, but still. Buffy hugged Oz and laughed.

"Look, I know this is super short notice, but I am getting married in under a week and I would love for you to come." Oz laughed back and let go of the Slayer.

"Cool." Angel looked over at his car and frowned.

"What happened to my car!" Kera closed the door and walked over to her dad.

"It wasn't my fault. Oz hit the car!" Angel growled and left the car behind.

"Dad! Come on, do you really think I would mess the car up on purpose! Dad, stop! Let me explain!" Kera followed her dad back to the house. Buffy picked up Angel sword and Faith's knife and rolling her eyes she followed Angel and Kera home. Dawn and Kathy laughed.

"Are you coming Nina? Susan?" Dawn asked.

"No. Not that we don't like you guys, but the pack is our life. Tell Angel, tell him it was good to see him. And congratulations on getting married." Dawn nodded. Nina and Susan left following the pack. Willow took Oz's arm and led him towards the house.

"You know, there is no way out of the wedding now. Might as well stay at the house." Oz shrugged and let Willow lead him towards Angel and Buffy's home. Sean followed last waiting to see if Connor and Faith would get up. Sean looked down and noticed that they were embraced in a passionate kiss. There was no way Sean was waiting for that to end. Smiling to himself Sean melted into the night. Connor and Faith didn't even notice that everyone was gone. Above the lovers the moon rose high in the sky. Twilight had risen to expose the secrets of the night and those secrets would be more than anyone ever imagined.


	11. Chapter 11

**Immortal: the Virtual Series**  
Episode 3.11: Baby, I do (part 1)  
Written by The Main Slayer  
Rating  
Song: I Do (Cherish You) by 98 Degrees

**Part One**

Rain poured upon the picturesque scene. Red and white roses wilted; tables overturned by the wind; paper and food scattered on the ground. The large archway had fallen, crashed to the ground casting red, white and greenery to the wind. A single figure sat while the rain continued to fall. Hair askew and soaked; dress ripped from floor to waist. A face stained with tears and pain. _This wasn't supposed to happen this way. Why did this have to happen?_ The figure pulled its knees up to her chest and allowed the sobs to erupt from within. The woman pulled at her tattered dress and lowered her head. Looking up the red-carpeted aisle she saw a man walking towards her. Slowly, she lifted her head. Anger filled her heart when the man stopped in front of her. This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life and yet this man had ruined everything. Hatred and anger filled her eyes as she glared at the man. Without permission, the man sat next to her. She moved away from him pulling her dress towards her. Slowly he moved his hand to rest on her cold shoulder. She flinched. She didn't want to be touched by this man, but here he was; wanting nothing more than to comfort her. Slowly, her sadness enveloped her and she leaned towards the man and put her head on his shoulder. Fresh tears flowed down her cheeks falling onto her once beautiful gown. The man wrapped his arms around her and allowed her to sob. Rupert Giles wasn't sure what he could do for his charge now. It had been so long since he had supported her in anyway. When the Slayers were created he went off in search of them and never returned. His journey took a dark path and soon his job was more than he could handle. Giles had wanted this to stay away from Buffy and her attempt at creating a normal life for her new family. But there was nothing he could do now that they had figured out what would hurt him the most. The rain did not seize and continued to pelt their already frozen forms. The Slayer sobbed against her Watcher wishing that this day had never happened.

--

**24 hours earlier…**

Slowly the backyard to the vineyard took on a different look. The vast green backyard was transformed into a red and white dream. A red carpet lead the way to a large archway of red and white roses lined with greenery. A platform stood behind it blanketed in red enclosed by two large pillar candles. A silver chalice and silver rope sat on a small table. Rows of chairs covered in white stretched along the red. Garlands of red and white roses lined and connected each row of chairs. At the entrance stood two more candled pillars waiting to watch the procession. The wedding was only 24 hours away. Buffy looked down from her bedroom. She couldn't believe that this day was finally here. So much had happened to them and now it was all coming to this. Buffy turned to face a large mirror where her dress was hanging. The dress had a red bodice cut low in the front with no sleeves. The bone corset style bodice came down into a point in the front and back. The dress then flowed white to the ground with a large train in the back. The train came down in layers with red embroidery. Buffy had found _the_ dress. It had taken a while but she had found it. She remembered what the woman in the dress shop had told her that they believed colour on a dress, especially red, was a bad omen. But it fit her perfectly and red was Angel's favourite colour. How could she refuse it? Buffy sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was limp around her face and her eyes were worn. She had not been able to sleep for sometime. All she wanted to do was collapse on her bed and sleep for a thousand years. She loved her new family but the twins were becoming a bit much for her. She still wasn't sure what fate had in store for those two, but she knew that whatever it was, it would end in blood shed. There were times when Buffy wished that she had thrown herself from that cliff to stop them from coming into being. She wasn't strong enough; she should have been. But Angel's words resonated in her head that they would make it through and no harm would come to their children.

This wasn't how her life was supposed to turn out. She had always imagined her life different than this one. When she was 16, before she knew her destiny, she had always thought she would become something else. Something less harmful. Believe it or not, she had wanted to become an interior designer. She loved making new things out of old and redecorating to her hearts content. Her mother had hated it. There were several times she would come home to find her house not the way she had left it. It was a far off dream now. She wanted to go to school; she had wanted to do well and make a good life for herself. She knew that she had wanted to be a mother, but not like this. But she knew that with everything she has seen there was nothing she could do to change the past. She had learned that the hard way. When her mother had died she wanted nothing more than to bring her back, to change the past. Her sister was even more driven to reverse what was done. But she knew that what would return would not be their mother. In order to move forward, you have to accept the past. Angel had taught her that. Rubbing her tired eyes, Buffy moved towards her bed. She would take a nap and everything would be fine. The wedding was tomorrow. She had to be at her best.

--

Silently, Angel tapped on the door. He knew that he wasn't allowed to see the dress but all he wanted was to see her. He tapped again but no answer came. Slowly he opened the door and saw that she had fallen asleep on the bed. Smiling, Angel closed the door and walked towards the kitchen. For the last day he had felt like a human again; all though his heart didn't beat, it felt like it was racing. He couldn't believe that after all these years he was about to marry the love of his life. Angel walked past the girl's rooms and stood for only a moment watching them as they tried on their dresses and played with their hair. Sean walked out of the room and rolled his eyes at Angel as he headed away from Kathy, Dawn and Faith. Angel followed Sean to the kitchen were Connor sat silently at the end of the table. Angel smiled when he saw his son. He didn't care how he was alive and what was done to make it possible, all he cared about was that he was here. Connor looked up and smiled at his father. It had been a rough road for them but here they were. Getting to know each other and learning how to live with what their lives had been like.

"Hey." Connor said slowly as he put his knife down. Angel picked up the coffee pot and poured himself a cup.

"Hey." Angel threw the cup in the microwave and began heating the cold coffee from the early morning. No one was sleeping well with the twins. Everyone could hear them in the middle of the night as their cried for no reason. Angel was sure that there was a reason but he could not see what was in their little minds. The microwave beeped and he removed the steaming cup. Moving towards his son, he sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"How did you sleep last night?" Angel asked. Connor shrugged.

"Not well. Still getting used to the not being dead thing."

"It'll pass." Angel said smiling. Sean sat next to Connor and took a fork to take a bit of Connor's bacon and eggs. Connor narrowed his eyes at Sean but allowed him to have some.

"So, when does everyone show up?"

"Today. Sometime throughout the day I'm sure everyone will arrive."

"Is everyone coming?"

"Everyone, Willow, Xander…everyone."

"Should be interesting, I haven't met everyone…or have I?" Connor furrowed his brow.

"I don't even think I've met everyone who is coming." Angel admitted. Sean helped Connor finish his breakfast just in time for the girls to bound through the door. Kathy kissed Sean on the cheek and wrapped an around his shoulder. Dawn stood at the opposite end of the table and picked up a set of keys. Angel eyed her curiously.

"We are going to pick up a few wedding guests." She said to him.

"With my car?" Angel asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we only have one and I can drive you know." Faith stepped up behind her and took the keys. Angel smiled at her an nodded.

"I think, I should do the driving." Faith winked at Connor and he smiled back. Kathy said goodbye to Sean and the three girls left. Kera stood in the doorframe as she watched them leave. Angel acknowledged his daughter with a nod and she smiled. It was so good to see him. She hadn't realized just how much she missed her parents until she spent all this time with them. She looked over to her brother and noticed something slight about him. His hair was darker; his face paler than normal. She couldn't sense anything immortal in him but he was changed. Whatever happened to him would be her fault. She knew that messing around with time would cause a change, she was just waiting for it. Her parents had trained her well, her sense were better than anyone's thanks in part to her DNA. She would figure it out, and she knew that she wouldn't like it.

"Are you staying?" Angel asked her. She snapped back to reality and entered the room.

"Do you want me too?" She asked him. Angel gave her a sideways smile.

"What do you think?"

"Sometimes I don't know." She sat down and looked at his angelic face.

"Of course I want you to stay, but there is something in your heart that tells you not too." Angel said. Kera smiled. He always knew what she was thinking.

"It's Tristan." Angel sat erect and stared down at his daughter.

"What about him?" Concern etched onto his face as he waited for her to answer.

"There is something different about him. We have always been connected; always known what each other was thinking or feeling…right now he is confused and alone. I'm not sure why, but I think the Queen is displeased with him and is making him suffer for what has transpired."

"Will she harm him?" Angel asked.

"I don't think so, but she will make him suffer. He has lived for her for so long that I don't think he knows any other way. It has been a long time since he has been part of her." Sadness pulled on Kera's voice. Angel reached a hand out and touched his daughter.

"You should go to him." He said. She looked up at her father and smiled.

"I don't know…he doesn't want to see me."

"That doesn't matter. It never matters. He needs you…you are the one who is going to save him. You always were the one. You are one half of him and he one half of you. The only way to save him is to save yourself. Go to him."

"What about the wedding?"

"When you find him, bring him. Let him see what happiness awaits." Kera nodded and kissed her father on the cheek. She stood and left the room. Her father was right. Everything she was doing was to stop what was to happen and maybe she isn't meant to stop it in the past, but in the future. She had to find him and take him home. That was her mission now.

**End of Part One**

**Part Two**

As they waited in the airport Faith became restless. She wasn't sure why she felt the way she did. Ever since Connor came back there was this nagging feeling in her stomach that told her something was wrong. What bothered her even more was that she didn't care. All she cared about was that Connor was back and she wouldn't have to be without him again. For the first time in her life she understood what Buffy felt when Angel left her. Faith ignored her feelings and concentrated on the upcoming wedding. An announcement sounded from the speakers above saying that the flight from London England had arrived in the terminal. Faith stood and moved towards the arrival gates with Dawn and Kathy. The first person to come through the gate was Xander. He had a huge smile on his face and raced towards Dawn. It had been a while since they had seen each other and Dawn seemed just as excited as Xander. Xander picked her up and gave her a huge hug and she giggled. Next to come through the gate was a brunette carrying a single bag. Willow and Kennedy followed next leaving Giles to bring up the rear. Willow hugged Dawn and Faith; Giles nodded to them all and gave them a small smile. In the past few months Giles had separated himself from the group for whatever reason. Willow had never questioned him, but she wondered why.

"How was your flight?" Dawn asked as they moved to the baggage claim.

"Not so bad. There were peanuts." Xander remarked. Faith noticed that the brunette that had gotten off the plane after Xander was following them. Narrowing her eyes she watched her.

"Peanuts are always good."

"Not in this case, not salted. I mean who doesn't have salted peanuts on a flight? They are always salted…so they were kind of bland and the in flight movie was well lets just say I will never get those two and a half hours back." Xander dropped to pick up his back when Faith nudged him.

"We are being followed." Xander looked up at the brunette and smiled.

"No. It's cool. She's with me." Faith looked at her as she smiled.

"Introductions?" Faith furrowed her brow demanding to know who she was. Xander turned around and put an arm around the girl.

"Guys, this is Samantha. She is my girlfriend and date to the wedding. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about her earlier, deal with it." Faith gave Xander and look of disappointment and then smiled.

"Nice to meet you." They got their bags and then headed out of the airport. The entire time, Giles said little and smiled and nodded often. Dawn was starting to worry that Giles didn't want to be here. She knew that once the Slayers were created he made is his personal mission to find them and make sure they all got the training they needed. Several times of the last couple of years he had asked Buffy to join him in their training and their missions. She wasn't ready to give up her semi-normal life with Angel for anything Slayer-like at the moment. Giles had finally given up asking. He knew that she would turn around and help out when she was ready. Dawn looked back as Faith drove towards the villa Angel and Buffy now owned. Giles wasn't that far away, Scotland, but they never saw him. Even when they weren't living here. Giles' eyes were clouded and he was looking out the window. Something was bothering him but she wasn't sure what. She made a mental note to ask him what he was thinking. Faith made a sharp right and turned onto the all too familiar street that was their home. The whole way, Faith told the gang that Oz was back and coming to the wedding and that Connor was a live and they weren't to mention his brief contact with death. Everyone nodded and agreed. Willow's eyes closed when the mention of Oz; Kennedy took notice but didn't push the issue. Oz had been a topic they never spoke of. She knew that he was important to her and she made sure never to mention the name or the situation he left her in. One day, Willow would explain everything, for now she had to deal with the silence.

Faith stopped the car outside the gate and pressed the keypad entering a ten-digit code that allowed them back in. As the group entered the gate a motorcycle zoomed past them. No one knew who it was and they all looked at each other in confusion. Faith continued up the driveway and parked along the back where all the cars were parked. Faith parked the car beside Buffy's SUV. Angel had bought the SUV when the twins were born so that she could get around more easily. The garage closed and the group got out. Faith got the bags out of the back and helped the group of five into the large house. Xander marveled at the size and whistled as he looked up.

"Impressive." Xander said. Faith smiled.

"Hard to believe he has been sitting on this house for so long without telling anyone." Angel came around the corner and smiled.

"Hey everyone." He said. Willow walked up to him and gave him a huge hug.

"It is so good to see you!" She said to him. Even Xander gave him a hug whispering 'about time' as his hugged the ancient vampire. Angel smiled and looked at Giles. Giles nodded and Angel nodded back. Willow took hold of Kennedy's hand.

"Welcome. Come in. I have rooms set up for you and there is lunch in the kitchen." Angel took some of the bags and walked Willow and Kennedy to their room. They walked past the large living room and then they walked up a large staircase that winded around making itself the centerpiece of the house. Angel moved to the right once they reached the top and the group followed. Angel opened the door to the first room on the left and showed Willow and Kennedy in. Faith took the opposite room and let Xander and his girlfriend in. Dawn showed Giles his room.

"Thank you Dawn." He said. It was the first words he had spoken the whole trip.

"Giles," Dawn began, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because you don't seem like yourself…you seem a little distant." Dawn looked down when she said this fidgeting with her shirt hem. Giles placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm fine. Just nervous I suppose." They left their guests to get themselves settled and moved towards the living room. Connor was sitting there staring out the window. Faith walked towards him and sat down. Connor wrapped his arm around her shoulders and smiled. She lowered her head onto his shoulder and sighed. Angel smiled to himself and began to turn when Faith stopped him.

"Who was on the bike and why didn't I know we had some?"

"It was Kera." Dawn moved towards him surprised etched on her face.

"Where is she going?"

"To find Tristan." Faith glowered at him. A snarl erupted from her lips as the name was spoken.

"Why would she want to do that?" She demanded. Angel smiled at her warmly and mentally begged her to calm down.

"Because she needs to. She has finally realized that the only way to save him is to help him. Tristan needs his sister right now, and maybe he will need his parents too."

"You would actually allow him to come here?! After what he did to…" Faith's voice trailed off.

"Yes."

"Why!" She shouted. Connor tried to pull her down and when he spoke his voice was a whisper.

"Because he is his son. He is my brother. And he is family; that means you get the license to be forgiven without hatred." Faith looked down at Connor and anger pierced his heart. He understood what she had gone through but that didn't mean she could pass judgment on his brother. He was doing what he thought was right; he had been brainwashed by evil. That he understood all too well. Holtz had brainwashed him against his own father…he had tried to kill Angel on several occasions. There was no excuse for it and yet, his father had welcomed him back without thinking of the past and what he had done. Angel, despite everything, still loved him. That was what Tristan needed now. Faith sat down and crossed her arms over her chest. Anger radiated off her body as she fumed internally over what she had been told.

"I have no idea when she is coming back if ever. She knows what she needs to do, she will come back when she feels it is right." Angel turned away from the group and headed towards the playroom. He looked down at the twins and smiled. There was something in Tristan's face now. Something different. Like he might be savable, if they loved him enough.

--

Kera had no real idea where Tristan was. All she knew was that she had to get back to New York. Angel had given her some money before she had left. With it she had bought a single round trip from Dublin to New York. Along with her ticket, she had purchased another, a one way from New York back to Dublin. She was hoping that her brother would be coming back with her but she was not sure if he would. As she sat in her seat she closed her eyes and thought of her family. She knew that the Queen was going to drop her brother. He had been so devoted to her and when she let him go; he wouldn't know what to do with himself. Hours later, she arrived in New York. When she landed she called her father.

"Hello?"

"Hey, its me." She said.

"Thank god! I was worried."

"Aww, thanks dad." She said.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"New York. I know he is here. I can feel it. I also know the Queen is about to drop him. He has outgrown his usefulness."

"How can you know that?"

"I know it because he knows it. He is getting desperate."

"Just save him Kera. Its all up to you now."

"I know that dad. I will bring him home. Just don't wait to get married. You and mom have to get married." She said, strain in her voice. She wanted so badly to witness her parents getting married. But, she knew that there was a huge chance she wasn't going to make it back.

"I know. I really do hope you get back in time."

"Me too, but don't count on it." She said her goodbyes to her dad and told him to tell mom she loved her. She hung up the payphone and walked out of the airport. Stepping onto the busy side street of the airport, Kera took a cab into town. She didn't give the driver a confirmed address, but she told him that she would tell him when they needed to stop. She could feel her brother's pain. She knew that it would all be over soon. When they made the turn towards Central Park, Kera told the drive to pull over. She paid him and got out of the cab. She moved towards the park and stood silently. She listened to the sounds of the birds chirping and the wind blowing softly through the trees. Her eyes flew open and she broke into a dead run. She ran through the park until she stopped in front of a large boulder. She circled the boulder touching the surface lightly. Kneeling, Kera felt under the monstrous rock. When she found what she was looking for, the boulder moved slightly. The pressure switch allowed for the rock to move. Revealed to her were stairs. She smiled. Slowly she descended the stairs, all senses heightened, she pulled a flashlight from her pack and listened as the boulder moved back into place. This passage would lead her to the Queen, and her brother.

--

The Queen's hand came slamming down on Tristan's face. She had tired of this boy. For that was all he was. A boy that couldn't even dispose of one small little baby. The Queen circled the crumpled form on the floor as her Beholder's watched. The Lord of the Underworld watched her as she punished the mortal. He smiled at her. She really was perfect. He really out did himself on this one, however, nothing this perfect lasts forever.

"You are worthless. Why I even allowed you to worship at my feet is beyond my comprehension." Tristan withered on the floor as he listened to her words, "I asked you to do one simple thing: travel back and kill your sister. To get rid of the one being in this world who could destroy me. And you couldn't even do that. You were magnificent against your mother and father…but one little baby and you lost your nerve."

"No, my Queen, please…I…" Tristan chocked out.

"SILENCE!" She shouted. She kicked Tristan in the ribs. He yelled out and took hold of his side, "You have out grown your use to me. I have a new way to get what I want. The problem I face now is whether to kill you or let you go…" Tristan raised his head and looked upon the picture of perfection with disbelief in his eyes.

"Please, I beg you. I can still be of use to you…"

"No. You can't." She said simply. She walked away from him and looked at the Lord of the Underworld. He had barely said anything, "What do you think?" He shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her.

"It is not my call. His soul is not ready to come to the Underworld if that helps you any."

"It doesn't." She sat down in a high back chair and stared at the pathetic form on the floor. No, she couldn't kill him. This little human was no longer a threat to her. He was a shell of what he once was to her; there was nothing more than to simply send him back to the world he came from. A world where he would be alone forever.

--

Kera was watching as the Queen beat her brother and as he cried out on the floor. She waited for something she could use against the Queen. Anyway she could get down to her brother without being noticed. She waited. At length, the Queen stood and clapped her hands. The Beholder's left the room and she moved back towards Tristan. Before leaving his broken form, she spat on him and walked towards the Lord of the Underworld. He was the one thing that Kera knew nothing about. At times he seemed that he could play both sides. She knew that he was playing both sides; the Lord of the Underworld only cared about one thing: obtaining new souls for his domain. The Queen took his arm and left the room. Kera waited till she knew they were gone then slowly made her way down towards her brother. He was still on the ground when she approached him. She leaned down and touched his shoulder. He had already known she was there. He had sensed her. He didn't flinch from her touch. It was almost comforting. He allowed his shoulders to heave and tears to form in his eyes. He leaned back into her touch and soon found his head in her lap. She leaned down to her brother and kissed his head.

"It's okay." She crooned at him. She allowed her brother these few moments before she rolled him over to look at her. His face was torn and bleeding; his eyes were red and swollen. His lip was split and his body shook.

"Tristan, we have to go."

"Go?" Tristan seemed bewildered. _Go? Go where?_ He had nowhere to go.

"Yes, go. Tristan, you can leave her now. You can come with me."

"No. I can't…"

"Yes, you can. Please Tristan…come with me." Tristan rolled of his sister. Why would she want him to go with her? He had killed their parents, tried to kill her, he wasn't worth her love. The reality of what he had done to his family hit him like a ton of bricks.

"I killed them…" He said silently.

"It doesn't matter," She said, "We can change all of that by destroying her. Help me Tristan! Get up and help me!" Tristan stood slowly. He swayed slightly but managed to regain his balance. She stood too watching him to see what his reaction would be. He walked away from her and stared into the darkness. He saw a pair of eyes looking at him. For a moment he thought it was the Queen coming to get him but he noticed that they were red. The Lord of the Underworld watching him as he argued with himself. He waited for the Lord to take him; to run to the Queen. But he didn't move. He just watched. Kera didn't know he was there. Slowly Tristan back up and instinctively put his arm out to protect his sister.

"What are you doing?" She asked. The Lord of the Underworld remained where he was. A voice sounded in his mind, _Go. Go before I change my mind._ Tristan nodded slowly and continued to back away. The Lord faded into the shadows and Tristan turned to his sister. He nodded at her and let her lead him by the hand. Together they left the hallow tunnels. His confusion sounded in his ears as his blood raced. He still wasn't sure what he felt or thought, but the Queen had dropped him. The Lord had let him go…what else was he to do. He had destroyed his family, there was no fixing that. But the energy that Kera projected was so loving and caring that he couldn't help but follow. The emerged from the tunnels into the bright park. Kera took hold of his hand and broke into a run. She realized that getting away was much easier than it should have been and she wanted to get as much distance between them and the Queen as possible. She would come after them soon enough. Tristan had a hard time keeping up but when they reach the street she whistled loudly. A cab stopped in front of them. She told him to get to the airport as fast as he could. For a moment Tristan sat in silence. He could feel his connection with the Queen fade. She really was abandoning him. He then realized that Kera was staring at him.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"The airport. We need to get as far away from New York as we can."

"I can't face them…"

"You don't have to. When you are ready. But we need to get out of here and I already have the tickets." The cab stopped abruptly at the airport and Kera dragged her brother out of the cab. Quickly, she had her tickets changed for that day and headed towards the gate. They made it just in time. They boarded the plane and once they were in the air, Tristan went to the bathroom. Running the water, he splashed the cool liquid over his face allowing it to melt the grim and blood off his face. Kera had given him clean cloths to put on. Once he was slightly more presentable, he stared at himself in the mirror. _So this is it? You have killed your parents, the one person you thought you could trust has left you for dead or worse, and your sister thinks you are worth saving…you are pathetic._ Pulling open the door he walked back to his seat. He had nowhere else to go, so he might as well go where his sister took him. He didn't want to see his family. Connor…if he saw Faith she would kill him. He knew that. But he was alive, so was there really a need? Settling in his seat, Tristan closed his eyes and tried to sleep. However, his dreams were not peaceful, they were filled with pain and remorse. There was no way peace would come to him; he deserved much worse.

--

Anger took hold of her. Her hair changed from white to black as her eyes darkened and her vision turned red. He was gone! The stupid human was gone. She loathed the Lord for making love to her then leaving her to sleep. When she had awoken, the Lord was smiling at her and had delivered the news. She knew that he had been a part of it…but she couldn't hurt him. She was more angry that she had allowed this to happen. She was weak when it came to the Lord and that was her downfall. She lashed out and destroyed several Beholders as she tried to check her rage. It didn't matter. What mattered was that her new plan goes off without a hitch. It was about getting rid of the child, it was about pulling the Slayer and the Vampire apart. To stop her own demise she had to turn back the clock…the Slayer and Vampire would never be allowed to meet. She smiled to herself letting her physical form return to its normal state. She would see to this personally, that way it would not fail.

**End of Part Two**

**Part Three**

_**I do I do I do babe, I do I do  
All I am, all I'll be  
Everything in this world all that I'll ever need  
Is in your eyes shining at me  
When you smile I can feel all my passion unfolding  
Your hand versus mine**_  
_**And a thousand sensations seduce me cause I**_

_**I do, cherish you  
For the rest of my life you don't have to think twice  
I will love you still  
From the depths of my soul, it's beyond my control  
I've waited so long to say this to you  
If your asking do I love you this much, I do**_

Buffy looked out among the gardens. A long red walkway led down from the rear French doors to the back of the large backyard. The entire walkway was lined with red and white roses. Petals were scattered around the wind slightly moving them. The breeze was warm on her face as she gazed out at the guests filling the seats. Halfway down the red carpet, there were several rows of white chairs. The rows were laced together with red and white ribbon. Each end chair had its own cluster of roses and lilies. As the carpet progressed down a large archway stood at the helm. Xander had spent several weeks building it. It was a large archway interlaced with roses, lilies and the like. Silk ribbons were twisted around the white structure. The Justice of the Peace stood under it surveying the scene before him. To the left of the archway a small table sat where their marriage would be made official. The groomsmen were slowly seating people and talking amongst each other. An organist sat at the back softly playing music. Buffy caught a glimpse of Angel as he held her Nana's hand. Buffy's family had arrived early that day. It had caught her by surprise to see her mother, and her father's, family. She was completely unaware that Angel had even sent out the invites to her 'real' family. Her mom's sister was thrilled and so was her uncle. Buffy hadn't seen her Nana in years and was amazed that she was able to make the journey. The biggest surprise had been her father. At first she had been furious. But she soon conceded to Angel's logic…

"I can't believe you invited him!" She yelled. She was pacing wildly furious with the man who was to become her husband.

"_You have to trust me." He said, "I know you Summers. I know that even though you hate the man you would want him here."_

"_You don't know that!"_

"_Yes! Yes I do! Please, Buffy. Your mother is not here…your father is the closest thing you have to…"_

"_Don't you dare bring up my mother! Not at a time like this! I hate that man more than you could ever imagine. Why would you do this to me? On all of the days, why now?" Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of all the times her father had bailed on her and Dawn. Not only did he show up but also so did his mistress, who was now his wife, and her half-sibling she didn't even know existed. It had been awkward, especially with the twins. Her father was not angry with her, in fact he was more ashamed of himself than anything else._

"_Buffy, please. Don't be mad at me. I did what I thought was best for you at this time. You have barely mentioned or spoken to your family in years. Don't you think they ought to know that you are getting married? That you have children?" Buffy scowled at him. He was right; she hated it when he was right._

"_I just, I…he doesn't deserve to be in my life after everything that he has done."_

"_He knows that. Why not at least let him try to make up for it?" He pleaded with her. Angel couldn't tell her that her father was the new CEO of the company he had left. He had made Hank promise not to tell her either. That was a conversation for another time._

"_Fine. But I don't like it and he is not walking me."_

Buffy knew that Angel was right. He was always right when it came to her. Buffy continued to watch as Angel seated her Nana next to her father. So many people were here to witness her marriage. Buffy noticed that Xander was making some finishing touches on her archway and Willow was placing some last minute flowers. The dresses she had chosen for her bridesmaids were strapless and black. Some people thought she was crazy choosing that colour. They were long with slight trains of their own; lace lined the bodices and sheer fabric flowed down the entire length of the dress. In their hair was placed several red roses, fakes ones of course, and red ribbon laced in the curls. Each bridesmaid carried a set of red roses and white lilies. The groomsmen wore all black suits with red roses in their side pockets. Willow, being the maid of honour walked with Connor the best man; Dawn walked with Xander; Kathy with Sean; Faith with Wesley. The entire Los Angles team had arrived. Angel had been extremely happy to see them…

Wesley was the first to arrive through the gate. Followed by Fred, Gunn, and finally Lorne. Wesley moved towards his friend who was smiling and embraced him as a brother. Angel and Wesley had grown close despite their numerous fights and the team being split up. Fred hugged him next with a large smile on her face. She was the most excited to be seeing Angel marry the love of his life. Gunn refrained from the hug, but slapped him on the arm. Connor had been with him, and each member of the L.A. team hugged him in turn.

"_I'm so glad you all came." Angel said to them._

"_Why wouldn't we?" Fred asked, "You are getting married. We are you friends, no family, we are obligated to come no matter what." Angel smiled at her and put his arm around her small slender shoulders._

"_So, when does this all go down, my brother?" Gunn asked._

"_Tomorrow."  
_

"_So, bachelor party is in order then." Gunn stated simply. Angel laughed._

"_No, I don't think that is necessary. However I do need a place to stay for the night because I am not allowed to see Buffy after midnight tonight."_

"_No bachelor party? That's weak. Well, we will just have to get drunk anyway." The group laughed as they retrieved their bags. The drive back to the villa was lively and Connor was more excited than Angel to see Wesley. Connor spent the whole trip back asking several questions about werewolves and shape shifters. Wesley was all to pleased to answer the questions. It was nice to be needed for his knowledge again. All thought Wesley was had not been around, Angel had asked him long before to be a groomsmen. He had agreed. There was so much that Angel and Wesley had been through and it only seemed appropriate. When the had arrived at the villa Buffy was outside commanding caterers and flower deliverers and others who were there to set up for the wedding. When she noticed the car, she stopped what she was doing and ran up to them. Throwing herself into Wesley she smiled at her old Watcher._

"_How are you? How was your flight?" She asked them._

"_It was great! However, the in-flight movie was not what it should have been." Buffy laughed and led them into her new home. Connor had continued to ask his questions as they all got settled…_

Angel would never have told her but she knew that he was happy to have his family there. He had expressed earlier that he wished Cordy could have been there. Together they had determined that even though their friends were gone they would still be there. Standing at the front of the rows, behind where the bridesmaids would stand, were two pictures: one of Buffy's mother, Joyce and one of Cordelia. Even though they were not physically their, their presence was. Buffy moved away from the door and walked back into the large room where she was waiting. There was a large mirror ahead of her and she moved towards it to look at herself once more. Her hair was simple. A mass of curls that tumbled down her back and framed her heart-shaped face. A small section had been pulled up creating a type of crown where red ribbon had been laced with small roses encircling her head. Her white vial hung loosely down her back pinned in place with several pins. Her make-up was simple: natural looking with big eyelashes allowing her green eyes to be the focus. Her lips were sheer with a touch of pink and the colour on her cheeks was subtle, her own natural blushing showing through the layer of make-up. Hanging around her neck was a simple silver chain and locket. It had belonged to her mother. The bodice of her dress was red and sat proudly on her shoulders. The neckline was low as was the back. The corset allowed for emphasis in all the right places. The whole bodice was red with blood red threading. The dress flowed from the waist; white as the snow with a long train that crisscrossed with red ribbon and white lace. The train was long and she would have to be very careful walking down the carpet. A soft knock sounded into the room.

_**Oh baby  
In my world, before you  
Lived outside my emotions didn't know where I was going  
Till that day I found you, how you opened my life to a new paradise****  
In world over change, still with all my heart, till my dying day**_

_**I do, cherish you  
For the rest of my life you don't have to think twice  
I will love you still**  
**From the depths of my soul, it's beyond my control  
I've waited so long to say this to you  
If your asking do I love you this much, I do**_

"Yes." She called. The door opened and Giles stepped through. He closed the door behind him and smiled at her. She looked so beautiful. His charge, his Slayer, stood before him ready for the biggest step in her life. He had not been sure if she would ever make it to this point but here she was. She was more than he could ever imagine; she was more powerful than any other Slayer in the world and she was the longest-lived Slayer in history.

"You are the most beautiful woman in the entire world." Buffy smiled her hundred-watt smile and walked towards him.

"You flatter me. I can't be the most beautiful." She wrapped her arms around her mentor. Giles held her for a moment then let her go.

"Are you ready?" He asked her. Buffy shook slightly and smiled again.

"Yes." Giles could tell that she was nervous.

"It's okay to be nervous." He said to her. Buffy relaxed a bit and sighed.

"Good, because I'm terrified." Giles laughed and guided her to the mirror again. He made her face the mirror and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Don't be. How long have you dreamed of, and waited for this exact moment? You and Angel are meant to be together and you know it. There is nothing to be worried about or nervous about. Its just Angel."

"I know. I'm still scared though. I may have been waiting all my life for this, but it doesn't make it any easier." She said moving back towards the large window. She noticed that the seats were all full and the music had picked up in tone. Angel stood alone at the front of the long red carpet waiting for her. Another knock sounded and four heads poked into the room. Dawn, Kathy, Faith and Willow all walked into the room. They all smiled at her and shut the door.

"Everything is set." Willow said. Buffy picked up her large gathering of flowers and looked at herself one more time in the mirror.

"Yes." She said with confidence. Buffy and her group walked towards the door and as Faith held open the door, she walked out into the hall. Angel's groomsmen were standing waiting for them. Connor came up to Buffy and hugged her tightly. It was going to be weird officially being his step-mom considering he was so much older, but she knew that thoughts like that didn't bother Connor. Together the group walked down the hall then proceeded down the stairs. Dawn picked up her long train and held it as Buffy descended the stairs. Once at the bottom she noticed that her father was waiting for her. She stole a look at Dawn she sheepishly shrugged. The group moved away from the two figures and waited. Buffy didn't know what to say to her father, but she had to say something to him.

_**Oh yes I do, I do  
If your asking do I love you this much  
Baby I do**_

"Hey."

"Is that all you can mange for me? You have barely said two words to me since I arrived." Buffy scowled and stood her ground.

"I said 'Hi, how are you' earlier. That's more than two words." Hank shifted his feet and stared at the ground.

"Look, I realize that I have not been a good dad. I have been a horrible dad. I should have been there for so many things and I wasn't. But I can't change what happened in the past all I can do is hope for a future. I hope that in time you will forgive me."

"Don't count on it." She said simply. Hank smiled. _Typical Buffy._

"You look beautiful." He said to her. A smile moved across her lips.

"Thank you." She said. Hank moved away from her, then turned.

"I do love you, you know…well, I better get to my seat." He moved away from them. When he was out of sight Dawn stepped up to her sister and put her arms around her shoulders.

"I know you hate him, but maybe, just maybe things might just get better."

"I wouldn't count on it Dawnie. But for now, it doesn't matter. What matters is the man standing at the end of that carpet." Dawn smiled and took her place with Xander. At the head was Faith and Wesley, followed by Kathy and Sean, then Dawn and Xander finally Willow and Connor. She stood at the back with Giles waiting. Nerves took control of her system and butterflies erupted in her belly. _God! I have had children with this man! And I'm nervous about marrying him? Get it together Summers…you have waited so long for this and it's finally yours. Get it together._ Taking a deep breath, she linked her arm with Giles and listened for the music. Slowly the line in front of her became shorter. Faith and Wesley started slowly down the carpet; halfway, Kathy and Sean followed. Soon Buffy and Giles stood alone at the beginning of her walk to forever. The wedding march began and slowly Giles urged her forward. Buffy put a smile on her face as she started walking down the carpet. Buffy looked around her and smiled to camera's flashing and warm faces. She greeted each smile with her own and held tightly to Giles' arm so she wouldn't lose her balance. Finally she brought her eyes to the party ahead of her. The groomsmen stood straight and proud. Connor smiled at her and gave her a small wink. She smiled back at him and gave a slight wink of her own. Willow beamed at her friend; Dawn looked like she was about to cry and Kathy's face a displayed large amount of pride. Faith was the only one looking stoic among her friends. Faith knew how Buffy was feeling. She remembered that Connor had asked her to marry him before the werewolf incident. She would be the next one to walk down the aisle if Buffy had anything to do with it. The Justice of the Peace held his book in his hand and looked tired. Buffy laughed to herself; _I wonder how many of these he as done._ She noticed her mother's family and her father's. She was happy they were here; that she was sharing this day with them. She looked to her mother's photo and tears filled her eyes. She wished so much that her mother was here; but she knew that she was there in her mind and heart. Buffy then moved her eyes to the object of her desire.

_**I do, cherish you  
For the rest of my life you don't have to think twice  
I will love you still  
From the depths of my soul, it's beyond my control  
I've waited so long to say this to you  
If your asking do I love you this much, I do**_

He stood ahead of her proud and noble. His face radiated joy and happiness. Buffy was still not accustom to Angel crying but when she looked on his proud features she thought she saw the slightest glistening in his eyes. He stood with his shoulders squared and his body still. His arms were in front of him, his hands clasped before him; she noticed that they shook slightly as she walked closer and closer. Everything fell away from her at that moment. All that mattered was him. Her love for him flowed from her body as she continued to look into his deep eyes. Their eyes never left each other; she knew that he was looking her over but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that finally she was getting her happy ending. The wind picked up slightly and dark clouds threatened the afternoon. The sun continued to shine behind her; however the archway that Xander had built sheltered her lover from the harsh rays that would kill him. _Thank you, Xander._ Buffy thought. Willow was still working on saving Angel form the harmful rays of sunshine, but it was taking time. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice that she had stopped walking. Giles took hold of her hand and urged her to let go of his arm. Swiftly, Buffy released Giles' arm and took hold of Angel's outstretched hand. He led her the rest of the way to stand in front of the Justice and turned her to face him. Love played across Angel's face as she smiled down at her. Smiling back, Buffy gripped Angel's hands tighter. Nodding, Angel indicated that they were ready to begin.

"Welcome, friends and family." The Justice began, "We are here today to join together this man and this woman into a new life. A life they will build together and create new stories. If there is anyone here who does not believe that these two should wed, I ask them to speak now or forever remain silent." The Justice waited several moments as the people behind them remained silent.

"A marriage is more than simple words and the signing of a book. It is a commitment between two people to leave behind their lives of solitude to a joined life full of adventure and promise. Marriage takes hard work and patience. These two individuals have decided to share that journey together in the hopes that the individual experiences they've had will enrich and heighten their life together. Liam and Buffy wish to thank you all now for sharing this day with them and have prepared their own vows, which they will read now. Liam if you will…" Angel was thrown slightly by the use of his real name, but Buffy had refused to allow 'Angel' to sit on the wedding invitations without a last name. He had conceded to her and finally divulged his human name to her so she might at least show that her future husband was normal. Angel cleared his through and held her hands tighter as he recited his vows:

"I never thought I would ever be this happy; that I would ever be allowed to be this happy. They say a person spends their whole life searching for that one person; that one person they are meant to spend the rest of their lives with. All my life I believed that I would be alone; that I didn't deserve to be happy. I have a lot to make up for; more than anyone could ever imagine. My own personal happiness always came last. I was always more concerned with saving the people around me and making up for things that were dead and buried that I forgot about what I wanted. To be honest, I still don't know what I want. But even with everything I have been dealt, my life leads me to you.

There is no one else in this world quite like you. You are stubborn, erratic, determined, caring, headstrong, independent, self-assured, honest, loving…the list seems endless. There are no words to describe who you are and how much you mean to me. I thought it would be easy to write down all the ways I love you, but I have found that it is harder to do than I imagined. Every day I tell you how much I love you and how much my life is better with you in it. And here I stand in front of everyone knowing that I must declare my love for you but I find myself thinking, I do that every day. Whether it is verbally or silently, every day I love you.

I promise, that whatever our lives deal us I will be there. I promise to listen to you; to support you; to cry with you; to cherish you; to grieve with you; to laugh with you; to be with you through the good times and the bad; most importantly, I promise to love you for the rest of time. My love for you will never darken; it will continue to shine through the ages. I promise you this and so much more. I give you my heart, my soul, my body and my mind for safekeeping. I give them to you with want of nothing in return. My life and love is yours always." Tears filled Buffy eyes as she listened to every word he said. Behind her, she could hear Dawn and Willow were crying. She took a deep breath and pushed her tears back. The Justice turn his body towards her and indicated that it was her turn to speak from her heart:

"I've not lived as long as you or seen as many things as you. The experiences you have lived through don't compare to my 27 years. When I met you eleven years ago I was a foolhardy young girl with a crush. Over time, that crush developed and changed. I wanted nothing more in my life than to be with you. When I thought of my future all I saw was you; all I wanted was you. I don't regret anything in my life especially my life with you.

When you made the decision to leave, I didn't think I would ever be the same. My world came crashing down around me; my heart fell apart and my life ceased to mean anything. I didn't understand then what you were doing, sometimes I still don't know, but despite what I believed then, I know now that what you were doing was for me. I see now that your pain in those eight years was equal to my own. Despite the pain, in those eight years I became the woman you see now. This woman who experienced and changed and remained forever yours.

I promise to forever love you; to listen to everything you have to say; to be compassionate and caring in times of need; to support your decisions; to share my thoughts and emotions freely without fear of judgment; most importantly, I promise that whatever our lives hand us we will get through it together. My heart and soul belong to you and for the rest of time that is where they will be. Care for them as I care for yours. Forever I am yours." Angel finally cracked. He allowed several tears to escape his eyes as he took in her words. There was nothing more important that this small woman in front of him. The Justice turned to face the group and slowly Buffy and Angel turned to face him.

"The rings please." Angel turned and took the ring from Connor. Buffy turned and did the same as Willow took her flowers handing her the simple gold band. They faced each other again and Angel's smile widened. The Justice turned to Angel, "Please repeat after me. I Liam Alexander O'Connor, take you Buffy Anne Summers, to be my lawful wedded wife."

"I Liam Alexander O'Connor, take you Buffy Anne Summers, to be my lawful wedded wife." When the Justice finished, Angel placed the ring on her hand. Turning to Buffy, the Justice said, "Please repeat after me. I Buffy Anne Summers, take you Liam Alexander O'Connor to be my lawful wedded husband."

"I Buffy Anne Summers, take you Liam Alexander O'Connor, to be lawful wedded husband." When she finished, Buffy slowly placed the gold band on his large hand. Clasping each other's hands they smiled. Inside, Buffy felt like she was going to burst. The Justice turned once more to address the crowd.

"It is my honour to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Liam Alexander O'Connor. You may kiss your bride." Angel and Buffy listened to the cheers that erupted from the crowd. She didn't care. All she cared about was this moment. Angel leaned towards her and placed his lips on hers. The kiss began slowly picking up in intensity as Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck. Bending her back, Angel leaned into his wife and kissed her with more passion and desire. He didn't want to let her go but he knew that there was more to this wedding than the ceremony. Reluctantly, he broke away from her and smiled as their foreheads touched each other. They rose and turned to face their friends and family. Holding hands, they moved to sign their papers making them officially man and wife. What Buffy and Angel didn't realized was that at the back of the crowd stood two lone figures. Kera held her brother's hand as they watched their parents. Tristan stood still not knowing what to say or do. Kera turned to her brother and squeezed his hand.

"You see. This is what I remember, this is what you should remember." Tristan wasn't sure what to feel. He was still feeing the effects of his separation from the Queen. His anger was subsiding but not gone. He knew that everything he felt towards his parents had be implanted into his mind by the Queen but somehow watching his parents and seeing them so happy slowly released her hold on his heart.

"I remember." He said slowly. He watched his father kiss his mother one more time. A small smile spread across his lips. Maybe his sister was right. Maybe happiness was possible.

_**I do, cherish you****  
For the rest of my life you don't have to think twiceI will love you still  
From the depths of my soul, it's beyond my control  
I've waited so long to say this to you  
If your asking do I love you this much, I do  
Oh, I do**_

**End of Part Three**

**Part Four**

The wedding party quickly moved from one end of the property to the other to take photos. While the pictures were taken with family and friends, many of the Slayers who had come to witness the nuptials were moving the rows of chairs and creating a new kind of atmosphere, one with tables and candles and large pillars with lights strung high. The archway stood at the end with the head table covered in white and red. Tristan watched from a careful distance as the tables were dressed and the plates laid out. He kept his eyes open for Faith and Connor…mostly Faith…hoping that she wouldn't sneak up on him and kill him. Moving away from his spot he walked among the Slayers. He remembered many times like this, hanging out with the Slayers when he was little. Tristan didn't notice that someone was behind him until a shadow appeared. Whirling around, Tristan brought his arm up; abruptly he stopped. Lowering his arm he looked into his father's face. Dropping his eyes he shuffled his feet on the ground.

"I'm glad you and your sister made it."

"Yeah."

"Take a walk with me for a second." Angel slowly moved away; Tristan turned to follow. He noticed that Connor was holding Faith back as Angel moved away from the wedding party and the photos being taken. Tristan hurried to catch up with Angel as he moved to the edge of the property. The clouds were moving in and the Slayers had begun to hang canopies over the tables and dance floor.

"Look, I don't need a lecture okay…I get it…I…"

"No, that's not what I'm going to do." Angel said. Tristan stood beside his dad, the man he was going to kill years from now, and looked into his face. _Nothing changes._

"Then what are you going to do to me?"

"Nothing."

"Is this a joke?" Tristan asked. He saw that his sister was waiting by the group; _probably waiting to restrain someone who wants to kill me. Not that I don't deserve it…_

"No joke. I get it. Don't look at me like that," Angel turned to face his son and smiled, "I do get what you went through. I don't know what my future counterpart ever told you about my years as Angelus…"

"Nothing."

"Okay…well what you experienced I experiences when I was Angelus. The power, the position, and the fear you were able to inflict on humans…or anything…just by looking at them. I also remember being seduced by my sire, Darla…Connor's mom…she promised me everything. The world as a matter of fact, but it wasn't meant to last. As soon as you do something…anything…to disappoint them you are no longer worth anything."

"Yeah, not worth anything. You don't know what I've done…"

"I think I do," Angel replied, "Kera has told us more than you think."

"I'm sure she has…what she probably didn't tell you was that I'm not worth anything and I don't deserve anything, especially your forgiveness."

"I think you should let me and your mother decide that." Buffy walked up to them and put her arm around Angel's waist. She smiled warmly at her son. _This is so surreal…_she thought.

"I…you don't get it! I kill you! Both of you! I will kill you…"

"Not if you don't want to," Buffy said, "Tristan, we are all in control of our own destinies. Nothing is ever written in stone. If it were, your father and I wouldn't be together right now. You never know what life will throw your way, if you make the choice now not to kill us…maybe that won't happen. If you help us end the Queen, I know it won't." Tristan looked down at the ground again. Kera had joined them and took her father's hand. Angel squeezed it tightly and looked down at her.

"You see Tristan, you are my son. And I won't let you fall to the devil. You have the power to change your destiny. You just have to want it bad enough." Angel moved away from Buffy and Kera. Buffy put her arms around Kera and kissed her forehead. Angel placed a hand on Tristan's shoulder and smiled at him. Tristan looked up at him; the man who had been his hero all his life; _maybe, maybe he is right. Maybe I have the power to change things…if I want to._ Tristan still wasn't sure if he could defy the Queen. He wasn't sure what kind of power she still held over him, but with his family by his side, maybe he could defy her long enough to save them. Tristan allowed Angel to put his arm over his shoulder and lead him towards the photographer. Angel motioned for Connor to join him. Connor gave Faith a reassuring look; he kissed her and then walked towards his dad. Connor stopped in front of Tristan and looked at his little brother.

"Listen," Tristan said, "I…I'm sorry. I know its not much, especially to Aunt Faith, but I am…I didn't mean to try and kill you. At least I don't think I meant it…" Connor smiled.

"Don't worry about it. Water under the bridge now. I'm still here…so no hard feelings okay."

"I don't deserve…"

"We are family. That is what we do." Buffy stood beside Buffy and their three children moved around them. Connor and Tristan moved to the back while Kera stood beside her mother. The two boys towered over Buffy, just as Angel did. Kera was only slightly taller than her mother. Together the group looked at the camera and smiled.

--

Hank watched Buffy and her family take their photos. He hated to have to spoil this moment for his daughter. But Angel's deal had taken a turn he hadn't expected. The deal Wolfram & Hart had struck with Angel was one son for another. Connor somehow had defied that. He was still alive. Hank frowned. It was going to be hard to pull Angel away from his family at this time, but there was something Wolfram & Hart needed that only the vampire with a soul could get. Angel altered the deal, now it was time for him to do Wolfram & Hart one more favour. A favour that Hank was not sure he would come back from. A man approached Hank and nodded to him.

"We are ready to extract the target." He said.

"Not yet. Soon."

"Very good sir." Hank looked over towards where the key sat. The man had been in Buffy's life more than her own father. He had walked her down the aisle when that should have been his job. Rupert Giles was the one who discovered what Wolfram & Hart needed. He was the one who would give Hank the signal to take Angel down. It was hard work running Wolfram & Hart…but one Hank enjoyed more than anything in his life. Smiling to Giles, Hank gave a slight nod. Giles scowled and averted his eyes. _You know what you are about to do to your Slayer and can't stand it. That is what you get when you double cross Wolfram & Hart._ Hank looked once more at Buffy and her smiling family. He really liked Angel, but a deal was a deal and Hank was never double-crossed. Not by anyone.

**To be continued…**


	12. Chapter 12

**Immortal: the Virtual Series  
**Episode 3.12: Like Father, Like Son  
Written by: The Main Slayer  
Rating: K+ for foul language and disturbing scenes

**Authors Note**: There is one past sequence of Angel's that is completely my own creation. I realize that it is a little disturbing but I'm illustrating how important family and family position was back in the eighteenth century. I have no idea if situations like that actually happened; it is something I have made up. The second one is from _Angel_ the episode called 'The Prodigal' it is copyright as such I just filled in the running commentary. I studied history; so I know the importance of getting your facts right. Now for my own benefit, I didn't study Russian history. If there are things that are not right I apologize but I'm not perfect and this is a piece of fiction from my head. Also the ancestor of Nicholas II is completely fictitious meaning I made her up.

**Part One**

_Several months ago_

Hank stood in his office waiting. He looked out the large windows down at the city beneath. It was hard to believe that this almost became a demonic wasteland. If they hadn't let Angel go when they did, or allowed him to leave when they did, this wonderful town of Los Angeles would have become a barren wasteland home to demons, vampires and the like. Hank breathed heavily and closed his eyes trying to envision the mess that Angel would have brought to the City of Angels. Opening his eyes he looked down again at the midday traffic and smiled. Life went on; Hank heard the speaker on his desk sound.

"Mr. Summers. You're twelve o'clock is here." Harmony's voice was pure and full of life; too bad her life had been cut short.

"Send him in." The speaker cut out and the door to Hank's office opened. Harmony held the door open for Hank's guest. Slowly, Rupert Giles sauntered into the room, apprehension on his face. Hank smiled and extended his hand.

"Mr. Giles. Please to meet you." Hank had to play nice. This was the man who had replaced him in his daughter's life; this was the man that knew more about his little girl than he did. Sure Hank had made some wrong choices in his life; cutting his children out was one of them. But that didn't mean that Hank wanted another man taking over his position.

"I'm sure the pleasure is yours." Giles responded. Hank laughed and motioned for Giles to take a seat in front of Hank's large oak desk.

"Now Rupert, I'm only here to talk."

"I'd prefer it if you didn't call me that. Giles will be sufficient." Hesitation only a moment, Giles sat down and crossed his legs. Giles had abandoned the Slayer cause years ago. When Buffy had decided to start her family with Angel and try to move on from being a Slayer, which seemed to be impossible for her, Giles had decided it was time to move on. His father had chosen his Watcher career for him years before he'd even been born. However, Giles' love for knowledge and books landed him a job at the London Museum, a job which ironically landed him a student follower named Amber. Amber was a Slayer; despite his efforts, his job seemed to follow him.

"Of course," Hank smiled at sat, "Now, Giles, I have a proposition for you." Giles began to laugh.

"I find that statement rather funny. An evil corporation needs my help; almost as funny as that same evil corporation asking their enemy to run it. You sure do some strange things."

"Quite right. We are strange but we get the job done and we do it well."

"Does Buffy know that you run Hell Incorporated or did you leave that out of your last Christmas card?" Giles asked knowing the comment would stab at the new CEO. If it did, Hank didn't show it on his face. The only reaction Giles could see was a tiny vein in his neck twitched ever so slightly.

"Now Giles, you know my daughter and I don't talk so why would I tell her about my career choices?" It was more a statement then it was a question but Giles simply sat and stared.

"What do you want from me?" Giles asked getting to the point.

"Directness, I appreciate that quality in you Giles. Always to the point." Giles waited as Hank pulled an envelope from a drawer and dropped it in front of Giles. He sat with his arms crossed and nodded to the file in front of him. Slowly, Giles moved forward and opened the file looking at the pictures within. Giles frowned and studied the pictures carefully. He pulled his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Do you know what that is, Mr. Giles?"

"Of course I know what this is. Why are you showing it to me?"

"Because I need you to help me find it."

"With all your resources here at Wolfram & Hart you need my help to find it? That sounds a little strange don't you think?" Giles flicked through the pictures again knowing full well that Wolfram & Hart would never be able to find this object. The Symbol of Fate was an icon that only the pure of heart could find and Wolfram & Hart was far from pure. Giles didn't want to help Wolfram & Hart and he had full intention to tell Hank to shove it up his ass but it would be lie to say that he wasn't intrigued as to why they were looking for it.

"Mr. Giles you know why I can't find this object. The Symbol of Fate is only found by the pure of heart. All I need, all Wolfram & Hart needs, is to know the approximate location of the Symbol. We have someone in mind to obtain it for us." Giles raised an eyebrow; who did Wolfram & Hart know that was pure enough to get this item?

"I can't help you." Giles said putting the folder back on Hank's desk. Giles crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. Hank laughed.

"Mr. Giles, we both know that you are going to help us. It's not in your nature to pass up an opportunity like this one."

"You obviously don't know me very well."

"Oh, I think I know you more than you would like me to know." Giles was sure that Hank wasn't lying. Wolfram & Hart never does anything half way. They would know all his childhood moments, all the times he was sick, all the times he was in trouble with the law and all the times he got a parking ticket. Hank most likely even knew about Giles personal life, including Olivia. If they wanted, they could destroy all that Giles had worked for before he even blinked.

"I can't help you. I don't even know where to begin."

"Well, that is what our archives are for." Hank smiled at him and motioned behind Giles. Giles turned slowly and saw several books on a cart. Giles knew that those books contained all of Wolfram & Hart's archives. All he had to do was say the name of a book and it would appear before him. Ever since Wesley had told him about them he'd wanted to see them. Wolfram & Hart had ever book in existence in those ten volumes. Giles turned back and lowered his head. Hank was smiling when he looked up, "You see I knew you would help me. Now please don't make me threaten you Mr. Giles. I will if I must but I'd rather you just get the work done and then we can part ways."

"What's the catch?" Giles asked knowing they had him.

"You do the research and then you help us obtain our target."

"You mean the person who's going to get the Symbol?" Giles asked, "How would I know who you're going to use?"

"Yes you do." Giles knew that Hank wasn't going to tell him who it was right now; but he would eventually. When the work was done, Hank would tell him. Giles had no idea that the in order to preserve his own world he would destroy the world of the one woman who he considered a daughter.

--

_Present_

Hank stood watching his daughter and her family. It was time. He nodded to Giles who continued to glare at him. Hank smiled and walked away from the crowded wedding reception. The clouds had rolled in and the rain had begun to fall. Willow, Buffy's friend, said a few single phrases and tents suddenly appeared covering the entire area. A small wind picked up blowing flower petals around the ground. Hank saw the dark figure standing in front of him. Slowly he moved towards it and stopped. Hank was away from the group and no one was paying attention to him. The Queen of the Beholders moved away from the shadows.

"My lady." Hank said with small bow.

"Mr. Summers. I'm glad to see that you are finally ready. When will I have the Symbol?" She asked.

"Soon. We are about to extract Angel now. He will retrieve the Symbol if he wants to keep his happy existence."

"Just remember, I need the Symbol in order to put my plans into motion. Without it, I will never be able to alter the Fate of the Slayer and that human loving animal. I will not be destroyed by some little girl." The Queen looked over towards Kera. It was hard to believe that such a small thing would be her undoing. Frowning, the Queen's hair began to change colour. Black flew down to the ends of her locks as she thought about the little bitch. Checking her anger, the Queen closed her eyes and focused on the task at hand.

"Don't worry, my Queen. He will not fail us."

"He better not. Now, let's get this over with, I grow impatient." The Queen stepped back into the shadows and disappeared from sight. Hank turned around and saw Giles leading Angel away from his wife and children. Connor's expression changed from happiness to a look of concern. Connor knew that something was wrong. Ever since he'd come back to life, he'd been different. Hank had no idea how Connor had survived or what those werewolves had done to him. Hank watched as Connor grabbed Tristan's arm and pointed towards Giles and Angel. He whispered something to his brother then together they walked towards them. Hank frowned. Moving his eyesight to one of his men, Hank motioned for them to stop Connor and Tristan. They would not interfere, no one would. The only way for Wolfram & Hart to survive was to help the Queen in her efforts. Everything existed on a thin line between good and evil at the moment, the Queen was threatening everything Wolfram & Hart had worked so hard to achieve. Hank turned his attention back to Giles who shook Angel's hand then lifting his right arm drove the needle into Angel's neck. Shock registered on Angel's face as he fell to the ground. Three of Hank's men were close behind as they picked up the unconscious vampire and dragged him away. Looking back to Connor, he saw Connor hit his man and race towards his father. Tristan was fast on his heels. _Shit._ Closing his eyes, Hank opened his mind to his spell casters surrounding the wedding. _We need cover and we need it now. Do something._ Within seconds the small storm that was affecting the area turned into a much larger storm. The wind picked up and began to upturn tables; the rain fell harder crashing through the tents that attempted to protect the guests. Buffy looked around unsure of what was happening. Hank could tell she was yelling to Willow who was attempting to control the storm. There was no way that the little witch was any match to his four spell casters. Hank was unconcerned. Moving towards Giles Hank place a hand on his shoulder:

"Well done, Mr. Giles." Hank yelled over the wind and walked towards where his men had dragged Angel.

"What are you going to do now?" Giles demanded. Hank looked past him as his men dragged a struggling Connor and Tristan. Connor was yelling at Giles.

"You son of bitch! What have you done? What have you done?" Connor continued to yell as he tried to reach Giles. Tristan struggled less but focused his attention more on Hank.

"She got to you didn't she?" Was all he said. Connor and Tristan were dragged away as Hank left Giles standing alone.

"Goodbye Mr. Giles." Giles said nothing as he watched Hank leave with Angel and his sons. Standing in the rain Giles turned to look at what was left of Buffy's fairytale wedding. As soon as Hank and the Wolfram & Hart team had left the wind had died, the rain had slowed and guests were picking up chairs that had fallen over. Buffy was sitting down at the alter with her head in her hands. Willow was yelling to the Slayers to follow the black vans that were leaving the house. Giles walked towards her. Someone he knew that she knew everything that had just happened. Willow glared at him as he walked past her; Xander picked up several chairs not making eye contact with Giles. Giles ignored them all and went straight to his Slayer. He noticed that she must have fallen at some point. Her dressed was ripped and her hair was a mess. The rain continued as Giles sat down next to her. He put his arm around the frozen Slayer and felt as her body stiffened. Slowly, she leaned her head against her Watcher and began to sob.

**End of Part One**

**Part Two**

Angel awoke to water being splashed on his face. His arms were above his head and his shoulders ached. Looking around he tried to focus on the object that had thrown the water. His vision was blurred and his mind hummed. He looked around and saw two other figures on the ground tied back to back. Angel tried to speak but no sound came from his dry throat. He was starving. His mouth and throat burned as he tasted his own blood. More water hit him in the face as he shook his head Angel's vision cleared.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Angel demanded.

"Dad!" Connor yelled.

"Connor, are you alright?" Angel asked.

"We're fine."

"We?" Angel asked.

"Tristan's here." Tristan didn't say anything. He simply looked ahead breathing deeply. Connor jabbed him in the ribs and Tristan turned his head. Remaining silent, Tristan nodded then returned to staring ahead. A figure moved in front of Angel's vision and stopped at the edge of the moonlight that filled the room.

"Angel. It's good to see you again." Hank's voice filled the room as Angel finally realized why he was here.

"What do you want from me?" Angel demanded focusing on the man in front of him. Angel had incredible night vision, thanks to his vampire genes, but with being knocked out by whatever drug they used, it took his eyes longer to adjust.

"You, somehow, broke our deal and we don't like it when someone gets the best of us. Especially if its you."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Angel replied knowing full well that Hank was referring to the deal he'd made regarding Tristan's life.

"Angel, don't play stupid with me. You know this has everything to do with your sons."

"What's he talking about?" Connor asked. Hank turned to face Angel's sons and smiled.

"You don't know do you?" Hank walked over to Connor and knelt next to him, "Your father is the reason you died." Connor didn't react but glared at Hank wanting nothing more than to kill him. "When Tristan went missing Angel came to me and asked me to save him, asked us to save him. I told him the cost would be one son for the other…"

"Hank! So help me god, if you…"

"If I what? Tell him that you sacrificed him for your infant son who is going to kill you in the future?" Hank moved back to Angel and stepped into the light, "Please. You know exactly what you did for her. You gave up your first son for your new son. What would Darla say about that?" Angel glared at Hank but said nothing. What could he say? Hank was right; he'd sacrificed Connor for Tristan. He'd known the consequences when he came to Wolfram & Hart all those months ago. Angel avoided eye contact with Connor as Hank continued.

"Well, despite this, you are obviously not dead. I'm still not sure how that happened but we will find out. For now, your father here needs to do something for us if he wants his happy existence to continue."

"Dad, listen, I don't care what you did. I would have done the same thing for Tristan, he's my brother. Don't help them! Not for me not for Tristan. It's not worth it…" Connor was cut off as a fist connected with his face. Connor lurched to the side bringing Tristan with him. Connor's head connected with the hard ground and Tristan fell hard against Connor's right side. Connor grunted and passed out from the hit.

"Connor!" Angel yelled. Tristan looked over his shoulder and shuddered.

"He's out." Angel turned his attention back to Hank and allowing his anger and thrust get the better of him, his face morphed to his vampire features. Angel growled and tried to move towards Hank. Hank laughed.

"Please. You aren't going anywhere vampire. Believe me, if you hadn't just married my daughter, I'd probably have you killed. But as usual, you are far too valuable alive than dead. You will help us. We already know that, so why don't you just get off your high horse and listen to what I have to say."

"I never should have invited you." Angel commented. Hank knew that he had him. Angel allowed his features to return to normal and sighed heavily.

"Excellent. We'll talk, soon. But first you all need a shower and some clean cloths. I'll see you upstairs. Remember Angel, nothing funny or your perfect world will end a lot faster than you think." Hank left the room and the figure with the water walked up to Angel and cut the ropes. Several crossbows were pointed at Angel as he fell to the ground. Looking around Angel tried to determine if it would be worth it to start a fight to get out; he decided against it. Moving towards his sons, he touched Tristan on the shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Tristan nodded and allowed his father to untie him and Connor. Once he was free, Tristan turned and helped Angel lift Connor up and carry him towards the door. The six Wolfram & Hart employees pointed their weapons at Angel and together, moved as a unit up from the bowels of Wolfram & Hart to the upper suites where Angel knew cloths and a hot shower was waiting for them.

--

Connor awoke an hour later on a soft bed. He groaned softly and touched his face. He knew there was going to be a purple bruise on his face. Stretching, Connor sat up and looked around. His accommodations were a lot better than before. Listening carefully, Connor heard a television running. Slowly, Connor stood up and walked out of the room to the large spacious living room that must have been the penthouse suite at Wolfram & Hart. Tristan was sitting on the couch watching some program on the television. He didn't look away from the screen when Connor walked in.

"He's not here." He said.

"Where is he?"

"He's in a meeting with Mr. Summers." Tristan continued to watch the program and pointed towards the kitchen, "There's food on the counter." Connor looked over and saw two pizza boxes on the counter. One was almost finished and the other had two pieces taken from it. _Figures that he'd eat all the food._ Connor moved towards the door and tried the handle. The knob didn't move, "Don't bother. It's magically locked and we can't get out until dad agrees to Wolfram & Hart's terms. So technically we're prisoners." Connor tried the knob again and sighed.

"Figures. Why is it that when someone wants something, they always use the kids as a chess piece?" Connor knew that he wasn't going to get an answer but he figured it would make him feel better to express the question regardless. Tristan shrugged and continued to watch the show. Connor moved towards him and sat down on the couch.

"What you watching?" Connor asked.

"Shark Week on Discovery channel."

"Cool. I love Shark Week." Connor replied settling in to watch.

--

Angel sat across from Hank arms crossed and clearly angry. Hank had a smug smile on his face that told Angel that there was really no turning back. Hank waited for Angel to process everything he'd just told him. His Seers already told him that Angel would agree to the task and making him sit and wait simply made amused Hank.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Angel asked.

"We are not doing anything to you. Need I remind you, that if you'd stayed with Wolfram & Hart you would have plunged the world into complete chaos. We did you a favour by allowing you to leave. You know that we have the power to turn back the clock and change everything that you've done…"

"You need the Symbol to do that and you know it." Angel commented.

"We might need it to make changes permanent but we can change your contract. That is within our rights and part of the agreement you signed to save your own ass. Lets not play games; I know you are going to help me so why are we bothering with all of this?" Angel sighed heavily and thought of everything that Hank could take away from him. He would ruin his own daughter's happiness to better Wolfram & Hart's goals and status. He had no idea what Hank wanted with the Symbol or who he was going to give it to, but there was little he could do about it now.

"How did you find it?" Angel knew that finding the Symbol was incredibly difficult. It would have taken months of research to even find out what continent it was on.

"Do you really want me to answer or do you already know?" Angel's memory of being his was fuzzy but he did remember speaking to Giles right before it happened…

"Giles? You got to Giles? What did you threaten him with?"

"We don't make threats. We make promises. Mr. Giles knew what he was getting into." Angel shook his head. This was getting better and better.

"Where do you want me to go?" Angel asked defeat in his voice. Hank smiled and leaned forward.

"Ironically, Europe. Mr. Giles narrowed it down to Russia. I assume you've been to Russia before?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. We think you should start in St. Petersburg and head out from there. Rumor and legend has it that the Symbol was a artifact that was past down through the Czar's family."

"That's the best you can give me? Russia and the Czar?"

"You and I both know that the exact location of the Symbol can only be found by the pure of heart. That would be you; we can only narrow down where it might have been last. The rest will be up to you my friend."

"We are not friends."

"No? I think we are in the beginnings of a beautiful friendship."

"This is a one time thing. Then I'm done. I will no longer help you or Wolfram & Hart."

"You say that now…"

"No. I mean it. This is it and then I want you to leave me and my family alone." Hank knew that Angel's life was about to be thrown apart despite what he was demanding. He didn't see the harm in agreeing; the Queen had so much more in store for them than anything Wolfram & Hart could do. Smiling, Hank thought only for a second longer.

"As you wish."

"I want it in writing." Angel demanded. Hank hit a button on his speaker and asked Harmony to bring him the prewritten contract. Angel smiled as the blonde came into the room and glared at him. She put the document on the table and left promptly, "You still have her working here?"

"You have seen her right?" It was like Hank didn't need a reason other than the fact that she was beautiful. Angel had to admit, when he'd been in charge looking at Harmony first thing in the morning was not a bad thing. Hank flipped the contract open to the back and handed Angel a pen. Angel laughed and picked up the document. He read it through three times before he was satisfied that there was no way Wolfram & Hart could go back on their word. He made sure that all his family was in there, including Faith, before he pricked his finger and signed the paper. Hank took hold of the contract and put the file in the top left hand side of his desk. Hank handed over another file folder and Angel picked it up.

"That folder contains all of Mr. Giles' research. That is all the help you are going to have other than your own personal contacts."

"How am I getting there?" Angel asked.

"You'll have the jet of course. It's the only way you will be able to travel without dying."

"And my sons?" Angel asked.

"They are leverage of course. They will remain here at Wolfram & Hart until you return."

"It will be much faster if I have more heads helping me." Angel commented.

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

"No, I think you already have a way to let them come with me that will still ensure that I bring you what you want. You forget that I used to run this place." Angel said.

"You really do believe you know everything. But you are right; they may go with you. But if you try anything, including sending them back to your wife they will both die." Angel nodded and fiddled with the edge of the folder.

"What about Buffy? Can I at least tell her I'm okay?"

"I'm sure by now Giles has told her his involvement in everything and what you are looking for. I'm sure she will find some way to get in touch with you but if you speak to her…"

"I know, I know. She'd dead their all dead. You don't lack for subtlety do you?"

"We are nothing if not efficient."

"Whatever you say." Angel stood and walked towards the door. Opening in front of him, Connor and Tristan entered the room. On their right wrists were black bands. Angel knew that was the way that Wolfram & Hart was going to track their every move. Connor crossed his arms visibly angry with his father; Angel shrugged and walked past them. Connor and Tristan followed their father towards the elevator. Harmony winked at Tristan and waved. Angel rolled his eyes and hit the button. The three O'Connor's entered the elevator and stared at Hank.

"Oh and one more thing," Hank held the elevator button to open and smiled, "Time is of the essence so if you don't mind, I'd like the Symbol as soon as possible."

"Of course it is." Angel replied. The elevator closed and together they headed towards the roof where the Wolfram & Hart jet was waiting for them.

**End of Part Two**

**Part Three**

Buffy sat alone in her room. She was sitting on her bed in her soaking wet and ripped wedding dress. _There goes ten grand._ Buffy thought holding up a torn piece of dress. She dropped her hand and let it sit in her lap. For the longest time, Buffy stared at her hands and the ring that now sat on her left finger. She'd let Giles walk her to her room, but had slammed the door in his face and told him to go to hell. She'd been alone for four hours; fours hours that could have been spent looking for her husband and sons. A soft knock came from the other side of her door. She didn't say anything but knew that the door would open anyway. Dawn, Kera, Faith and Kathy entered the room. They had all changed and were visible tired from cleaning up the mess that was outside. Dawn sat next to her sister and put her arm around Buffy's shoulders. Buffy turned away from Dawn and looked towards the wall. Faith closed the door and stood with her back to it. Kathy and Kera stood in front of Buffy and waited. Finally giving in, Buffy turned to her family and attempted a smile.

"Anything?" She asked. Faith shook her head.

"No. Xander and Willow have been working on it. We also have a Slayer group in Los Angeles heading towards Wolfram & Hart to see if they can put any pressure on them."

"That's not going to work. Wolfram & Hart aren't going to give up anything." Buffy said quietly. Dawn squeezed her shoulders and rubbed her back.

"Maybe not, but it's worth a shot." Faith answered.

"I guess." Dawn continued to rub her back and smiled.

"Maybe we should get you cleaned up? Out of this…" Buffy turned to her sister and fought back tears. This was supposed to be the best day of her life but instead she was sitting in a torn dress on her bed with no husband.

"I suppose you're right. Do you think you guys could help me?" Buffy asked.

"Of course." Buffy stood up slowly and headed towards the bathroom. Within minutes, Buffy was undressed showered and fresh faced. Buffy stared at herself in the mirror and examined all her lines and the bags under her eyes. Kathy, Kera and Dawn had left leaving Buffy alone with Faith. Faith was sitting on Buffy's bed when Buffy came out of the bathroom. Buffy managed a smile and sat next to her friend. It as strange, after all that Faith and Buffy had been through that they would become best friends.

"How are you holding up?" Buffy asked.

"Me? You're asking me how I am. Your husband was kidnapped…"

"So was Connor." Buffy offered.

"I know. But they weren't after Connor, they were after Angel. Connor was simply an extra grab."

"We've been through a lot haven't we?" Buffy offered.

"More than I'd like. I always knew that men would be the end of me." Faith commented. Buffy looked at the seriousness in Faith eyes then burst into laughter. Faith furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Buffy as if she'd finally gone crazy. After a few moments, Faith realized how funny that sounded and started to laugh along with Buffy.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said between laughs, "that's not funny, but it is all the same."

"No it's funny." Faith replied, "You know me and men. Get some get gone; that's what it used to be like for me. Now…I think you've worn off on me. I'm in love and everything."

"Love feels good doesn't it?" Buffy said.

"I guess. We'll see. I'm still a little apprehensive."

"So, now what?" Buffy asked.

"You go and talk to Giles." Faith said sternly. Buffy rolled her eyes and stood walking towards the large bay window in her bedroom, "I'm serious, Buffy. You have to go and talk to Giles. He might be the only one that can help us find Angel. He's really sorry, but Wolfram & Hart threatened him too. What was he supposed to do?"

"I don't know."

"Look. Get over yourself; Giles is sorry. Talk to him. Fix it." Faith stood and walked towards the door. She held it open and motioned for Buffy to follow her. Rolling her eyes again, Buffy followed Faith towards the large library located in their home. She walked by the twin's room and smiled as she watched Dawn and Kathy picked up her babies and played with them. Giles was sitting in the library when Faith and Buffy entered. Willow was floating above their heads blue and white energy crackling around her. Xander's nose was in a book and so was Giles'. Giles looked up and tried to smile. Buffy waved slightly and sat down next to him.

"So, what do we have so that I can save my husband?" Buffy asked.

"Unfortunately, all I could find out before all this went down was that the Symbol of Fate is in Russia."

"What is the Symbol of Fate?" Buffy asked.

"Essentially, the Symbol of Fate is the only item that can change the Fate of any given individual. The Symbol can only be found and obtained by one with a pure being, or soul. That individual then has the power to hand the Symbol over to whoever they like. As soon as that is handed over, the person holding it can change anyone's fate no matter how insignificant."

"Why would something like that exist?" Buffy asked.

"The Symbol has mostly been a myth. It was always believed that the Three Fates had the Symbol. Legend has it, when the Three Fates are threatened they send the Symbol as far away from themselves as possible. That way there is no chance of someone stealing it from them while they are no longer in control of Fate. The Fates must be in danger or the Symbol would have never left their possession."

"How do we find the Fates?"

"We can't." Willow said as she floated to the ground, "Apparently the Fates were attacked by the Queen several months ago. One of the Fates was put into a coma because of the Beholders and the other two sisters left their safe heaven to come to the mortal world. No one knows where they are."

"Which Fate was affected?"

"I have no idea. All I know is that they have given up their immortality and are now a part of the mortal world."

"So we should find them?" Buffy asked, "If we find them we can find a way to get them the Symbol?"

"Essentially."

"Where were they last seen?" Buffy inquired.

"New York. They must have been following you." Willow said. Giles through his glasses down on the table and rubbed his eyes. This was his entire fault and he knew it. What more could he do? How could he make it all better?

"What if we summoned them?" Giles offered.

"I thought you Willow just said they were mortal now?"

"The Fates could never be mortal. They simply do it to protect themselves. If we summoned them and attempted to save their sister they might be able to help us." Giles sat back and waited. Willow smiled and nodded her head.

"That is doable. I think I can manage the summons but it might take me a bit."

"Get on it." Buffy said with conviction in her voice, "Where are the Fates? Where would their sister be?"

"They don't live in our world. They are apart from our reality. The only way to get to their home is if one of them invites us to go. If you go on your own you risk death." Giles said.

"Okay, so we summon the Fates. We tell them we can help their sister, but how? We don't even know how to defeat the Queen how in the world are we going to be able to save their sister?" Faith asked.

"I've been making some headway with that." Giles said turning back to the book in front of him, "The council had some material on the Beholders but not much. The Beholders were created by the Lord of the Underworld, only he has the true ability to kill them completely. However, there are a select few who are born with the ability to send the Queen and her followers back to the Underworld for eternity."

"Is that why she's been after Tristan? Do you think Tristan has this ability?" Xander asked.

"I don't think so." Giles said, "Only one of pure heart has this ability. Tristan, for the most part, is not pure. All the events that have happened in his life, especially killing his parents, make his Fate far from pure."

"So, who then?" Xander asked. It took only Buffy a moment to connect the dots.

"Kera. It's Kera. She's the one the Queen is after." Buffy said clearing her throat.

"I think you're right. Kera has spent her life trying to save her brother and fix the damage that he's done. She has undying faith in her brother and the belief that he can be saved. Kera is the real target."

"So now that we know that, we can protect her." Xander said.

"Possibly, but we also have it to our advantage. The Queen isn't about to give up that easily. I believe that Wolfram & Hart is getting the Symbol for the Queen. With it she will be able to alter the fate of anyone she chooses." Giles said.

"Like Kera's." Buffy said.

"I believe so."

"So how can Kera help the Fates?" Faith asked. Giles sighed and cleared his throat.

"I believe her blood is the answer."

"It's always blood." Buffy said. Giles smiled and nodded slightly, "So let's get on this. If we can't get to the Symbol at least we can find the Fates and try to fix what the Queen's done. Maybe Angel can hold off for long enough so we can get the Fates to him before Wolfram & Hart."

"It's a good start."

--

The flight to Russia was going to take hours. Angel had decided that it was the perfect time to catch up sleep. Since the birth of his twins, Angel hadn't slept much. Though they tried, Buffy and Angel were finding it harder and harder to sleep especially with Tristan's night terrors. Angel's whole life was a complete blessing, but there were times he missed when he was alone with no responsibilities. Smiling to himself he knew that he wouldn't change his life for anything. His life before had been miserable, he was now content; happy. The beauty of using Wolfram & Hart as their mode of transportation, it came with a private jet with no stops; food of all varieties; television; video games and so much more. For the first several hours Connor and Tristan had play Mario cart on the Wii system and to Tristan's anger he lost several times. They'd finally given up after what felt like the billionth game and opted watching some TV. They still had a long way to go and many hours to fill. Angel was only moments into a blissful sleep when Connor hit him in the leg. Not opening his eyes, Angel frowned.

"What?" Angel asked.

"We're bored." Connor said. Angel laughed.

"Now children, you are grown adults, please find something to do." Angel replied keeping his eyes closed. Connor motioned for Tristan to join him. Sliding up, Tristan sat next to Connor holding his knees. Connor felt that at that moment, Tristan looked like a scared child. Connor forgot that Tristan had the worst upbringing; worse than his own. Tristan, everyday, lived with the memory that he killed his parents. Connor looked down at the ground remembering that once he'd almost killed their father. That night was still vivid in his mind even though he had been forgiven. Connor hit him again.

"Seriously, what more can we do for like five million hours?" Connor asked. Angel opened his eyes and frowned.

"It's not five million hours."

"It might as well be. Why does it have to be Russia?" Connor asked.

"Because that is where we are going."

"Yeah but it's so far." Connor complained.

"Connor, suck it up. Twenty six hours is not that long." Angel replied.

"It's long enough."

"Keep us entertained." Tristan said, "Tell us something…about you." Angel sat up and looked at his son.

"You want me to tell you something about me?"

"Sure. It's not like you shared when I was little and I'm sure that Connor doesn't know much about you…none of us really do. So, tell us a story about you…when you were alive." Tristan trailed off and looked at Connor. Connor smirked and nodded.

"Yeah, I love stories."

"You guys don't want to know about me. Really, I'm not that interesting." Angel offered trying to get out of the situation he didn't want to be in.

"What are you scared to tell us? Come on how bad could it be?" Connor asked. Off their looks, Angel knew that this wasn't going to get dropped.

"Fine! What do you want to know?" Angel asked. Connor thought for a second but was beat out by Tristan.

"What was grandfather like?" Tristan asked. Angel felt like he'd been hit by a truck. He was expecting a question about himself not about his father. Angel didn't like to talk about his father; they'd never gotten along and he felt that his father was controlling, undermining, arrogant man who believed that Angel would never amount to anything. Angel shook his head and averted his eyes.

"Don't you want to know something else?" He tried to change the topic but knew that Tristan wasn't going to let up.

"No. I've always been told growing up that I'm so like you. But am I like the vampire or the human? I keep thinking that maybe if I knew who my grandfather was and who you were then I might find out who I am…" Tristan kept his voice small. He hated knowing that he was a killer. Did it bother his father to know that he killed people? Did it bother Connor? Tristan thought that with the Queen by his side nothing would ever bother him. But now he wasn't so sure. Angel leaned back in his large chair and tried to think of something he could tell them.

"My father was a very hard man. He was incredibly religious and believed that a man was worth only what he did in life. My father tried so hard to advance our family name; he tried harder than others. We were by no means rich; we would have been considered a middle class family. We had one servant and very few animals. We had a few chickens and one cow but that was about it. He did his best for his family and he expected a lot out of us…especially me. When I was growing up he always taught me that in order to make anything of myself I had to be better than him. He had such high expectations for me that there was no way for me to fulfill what he thought would be my life."

"Why? What did it matter what you did?"

"Because what I did reflected my family. The most important part of life in the eighteenth century was family. You married for advancement, everything you did professionally was meant to make your family stand above another. It was really important to my father. He wanted me to be the one to secure a high standing for the O'Connor name. Of course, I had other plans for myself."

"What did you want?" Connor asked.

"Well I definitely didn't want to get into politics like my father. My father immersed himself in local and country politics. It was his life; he worked for the city, or what you would consider the city back then, and he did really well but not well enough. He wanted me to do more; get into politics and become mayor if he'd had his way. But that isn't what I wanted; I wanted to be free. I wanted to be an artist; I wanted to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. He hated that I didn't take anything seriously. I'd much rather waste my day away sitting in the local tavern then spend time listening to men debate the topic of the day."

"Sounds like you just wanted to live your life the way you wanted." Tristan commented.

"Yeah, I did. But that wasn't how things worked back then. You did what you father told you no questions asked. Never questions; only obey, do as you're told. I hated it. I wanted to escape so badly and my escape was alcohol. Be this a reminder to never drink: I'm an alcoholic. I spent every day all day doing nothing but getting drunk and I liked it. I used alcohol as an escape from the world my father was creating for me. There were nights when I would drag my sorry ass home and my father would be waiting to beat me with the closet thing he could find. To make matters worse, I didn't just like booze, I liked women. I had developed such a reputation for sleeping around that anyone who might have thought of marrying me wouldn't. Believe me, I understand what I did with my life but if not for his controlling nature…I don't know. Maybe I would have done something different with my life. I never understood what my father meant when he said to me that he was never in my way, but I do now. No matter how much my father rode me, he only wanted what was best for me. Just like I only want what's best for you."

"Sounds like life was really hard."

"It was."

"What was the worst thing he'd every done to you?" Tristan asked.

"Why do you want to know that?" Angel asked.

"Because I do." Tristan replied. Angel thought for a moment. He thought about how he could tell them a small story and censor how bad his father's beatings had actually gotten. But what would that accomplish? His sons wanted the truth, so why not tell them? Angel sighed.

"Alright, but you can't think any less of me when I tell you this story."

"Promise." Both boys said in unison. Angel leaned forward and closed his eyes for a moment. He hadn't told this story in centuries. He'd rarely thought of it actually. Every now and then someone would comment, where did those tiny scars come from? Did you know that you have little white scars all over your back? Angel never answered the questions he'd simply smiled and said he'd never remembered how he'd gotten them, must have been some childhood accident. But in truth, it'd been a whole lot worse.

"It happened six months before I'd died. Connor do you remember asking me about the little white scars on my back?" Connor nodded and waited, "Well, in November of 1752 I'd decided to go out…

_November 23, 1752 Galway Ireland_

_As usual, he'd fought with his father. As usual, his father had told him he was worthless and would never amount to anything. As usual, the only escape Liam knew of was heading to the local tavern and drinking his life away. That is what he spent most of his time doing; drinking. His father always told him that ale would be the end of all men; that it was a sin to drink as much as he did. Liam didn't care. He liked how the alcohol made him feel; he liked the feeling of emptiness that came along with it. No inhibitions; not rules; nothing. Liam had told his friend Tommy that he'd meet him there just after dusk. Tommy was already there and he'd already started. Tommy raised his mug towards the air showing that he saw Liam; smiling, Liam sauntered over to his friend and ordered a round._

"_What took you so long?" Tommy asked._

"_What else?" Liam raised his eyebrow and took a swig of his drink._

"_No matter; you're here now. To being young and free." Tommy raised his glass and touched it to Liam's. For hours, Liam and Tommy drank. It wasn't too long until Liam's vision started to blur and his sense of composure was faltering. While spending time with a bar maiden, Liam noticed a group of men in the corner. God, wouldn't it be fun to cause trouble tonight? Liam thought. Downing the rest of his mug, Liam stared at the men and smiled. The look in Tommy's eyes suggested the same thing. Liam had forgotten how angry his father had made him and a bar fight might just be the solution. Ordering another drink for confidence Liam knew the perfect way to get into trouble. Pushing the girl off his lap, Liam swaggered over towards the men in suits. Tommy followed behind him._

"_You know, this is not a place for men like you. Why don't you just go home to your wives and leave the women here to men like us. Free men. Men who are not tied down to anyone or anything." Liam's words slurred as he spoke but none of it mattered. These men symbolized everything that his father was. Proud men who were more excited about fucking their wives friends then going home and actually being a man. Men who got off on beating their children and belittling them to the point that they no longer wanted to live._

"_Move along son. No need to start anything."_

"_I'm not your son! You are everything that is wrong with this world, do you know that?" Liam asked. Tommy took Liam's lead and dumped his ale all over one of the men sitting at the table. Tommy laughed and so did Liam; the man didn't think it was so funny. Throwing his fist forward, the man connected with Liam's face. Liam didn't know how to react; he felt so off on his feet that the hit sent him flying. The fight didn't last long. Before he knew it, Liam was being dragged out of the bar and thrown into a snow heap. Two members of the Watch were standing above him. The Watch was Galway's answer to night policing and Liam had had numerous run ins with them. One of them laughed at him and kicked him._

"_We told you that if we'd found you again you wouldn't get out of it so easily."_

"_You ruined that nice mans expensive suit. Who do you think is going to pay for that?" Soon after, Tommy came flying out of the tavern and landed face first on the wet paved ground. Tommy tried to stand but collapsed. Liam laughed and tried to stand. The officer kicked him down again and smiled._

"_Where do you think you're going? You are in major trouble this time. It's the stacks for you my friend."_

"_Wait! Officers, don't you think there is a better solution?" The voice was that of Tomas Bristol, family friend of Liam's father._

"_Sorry, Dr. Bristol. We were told by the constable that if he was caught making trouble again it was to the stacks. He's caused enough public disturbances to last a life time."_

"_Surely you have better things to do other than to…"_

"_Orders are orders."_

"_Well, I'll be going to the Justice about this."_

"_He doesn't care." They both bent down and picked up Liam's soaked body. He was suddenly cold knowing that he was about to spend the next few days in public view for his drunkenness._

"_Not to worry Liam, I'll get your father…" Tomas stopped. He knew that saying this wouldn't make Liam feel any better. Lowering his head, Tomas watched as Liam was dragged to the central square. Liam's legs felt heavy; they dragged behind him splashing up mud and water. It started to snow as the officers dragged Liam's heavy form towards the stacks. Liam had no strength to fight them; he let them put his hands and head into the large wooden frame and listened as it was locked into place. Liam's body simply hung there as the people in the streets passed. One of the officers laughed and bent down._

"_Maybe this will give you something to think about." The officer hit Liam in the face; Liam tasted blood. The officers left laughing and headed back towards the tavern where they picked up Tommy and dragged him in the opposite direction. Liam hung his head and avoided eye contact. The snow started to fall heavier and covered his body in a white layer. Liam shuddered from the cold. Sleep didn't come to him as he hung there in the middle of the square for everyone to see. Liam kept his head down in the hopes that no one would recognize him but he knew there was no hiding. After the first day and night Liam was growing hungry. They would put stale bread and water in front of him and someone would feed him. It hurt to swallow; the wooden structure making it difficult to breathe and eat. One the second night a figure stood before him. He knew who it was. Behind the man were two women; they were both crying. Liam didn't lift his head. A hand forcefully brought his face up to look the man in the eyes. His father stared at him with a hard look of disappointment on his face. Liam tried to move his head but his father only tightened his grip._

"_You are no son of mine." His father said to him roughly dropping his face. Liam's head hung as his father's words sounded in his mind. Liam saw him grab his mother's arm and drag her away from him. Liam wanted nothing more than to cry out to his mother but that would only be a sign of submission and weakness. Instead Liam hung in silent torment as the night turned bitter cold. On the third night the two officers who'd brought him here arrived. Laughing they unlocked the padlock and flung the wooden beam open. Liam's body was so heavy that he fell to the ground. He'd barely eaten, he'd had no sleep and his body ached from being in the same position for hours on end. A hand came down on his shoulder steadying him. Tomas Bristol pulled Liam up by the arm and flung it over his shoulder. The officers walked away and left Tomas to carry Liam's cold weather beaten body towards his home. It took them over an hour to walk to his house; on any normal day it would have taken then minutes but with Liam beaten and breathing raggedly, Tomas took his time. Knocking softly on the door, Tomas held Liam up. The door opened and Catherine, Liam's sister, held the door open wide. Tomas could tell she'd been crying. It was hard to watch your loved one suffer even if they had brought the trouble on themselves. Liam's father stood in the doorway._

"_No. Bring him around back."_

"_Kieran…" Tomas began but off his friend's look he closed his mouth and dragged Liam towards the back of the house. At the back of the small single family home was a small garden sitting area that had its own personal well. Most families had their own source of water; Anna, the house hold maid, was gathering water when Tomas came around. She turned around and let out a cry of shock._

"_Master Liam…" She tried to reach for him but Tomas stayed her hand._

"_Off with you." Tomas said. Anna took hold of her bucket and left the yard. Tomas could hear Marie yelling._

"_Kieran please! Don't do this! He's just a boy…"_

"_He is a grown man and my son. You will stay out of this. Keep the girl inside." Tomas tried to ignore the voices as he gently lowered Liam to the ground. Kieran came outside and walked up to his son with a rope in his hands. Tomas stepped in front of his friend and held up his hands._

"_Kieran, don't you think he's suffered enough?"_

"_Do you think I've suffered enough, my friend? Look what he's done to our family name? No one will want him now. You've done enough. Go home."_

"_I won't. I won't let you kill him."_

"_Who says I'll kill him?"_

"_Kieran, you need me to stay…" Tomas pleaded._

"_If you are staying, you will not get in my way. This is for my family name and honour. Do you understand that?" Kieran demanded. Tomas slowly nodded and without hesitation stepped aside. There was nothing more he could do now. All he could do was wait till it was over. Kieran strode over to his son and pulled him around tying his hands to the left side of the well. He ripped his son's shirt off and walked away. Liam shuddered; he was so cold and so tired from being in the stacks for three days that his body had no strength left in it. Liam then started to cough; it hurt to cough. He was sick, he could tell. Tomas, being a doctor, knew that the young man before him was ill. He wanted nothing more than to go to him and bring him inside warm him up and make him drink a hot tonic, but Kieran wouldn't allow it. Kieran returned with an object in his hands. He stood back from his son and glared at the man that was supposed to be his flesh and blood._

"_You have embarrassed me for the last time, boy. You will never be anything and you've damaged your family's reputation beyond repair. I wanted a son!" Kieran was holding his anger as best he could more importantly he was holding back his tears of disappointment, "I asked for a son and God gave me you. A terrible disappointment. You are not my son." Liam tried to speak but his voice caught in a coughing fit again. Kieran didn't hesitate. He brought the five lash wipe in his hand behind his head and struck; once, twice, three times; Tomas held himself still as Liam's body shuddered and convulsed in pain and tiredness. Within moments, Liam cried out. He tried to control his voice, but he couldn't; he was too tired. Kieran only stopped when his son went still. Breathing heavily, Kieran dropped the wipe and walked back into his home. The last thing he said was, "He's your problem now." When Kieran was out of sight, Tomas went to Liam and called for Anna, "Anna! I need you now!" Anna was outside in minutes and upon seeing Liam's body she was sick. Tomas snapped at her._

"_Get a hold of yourself. I need you to help me get him inside." Anna composed herself and helped Tomas dragged Liam's body into the house. Liam had passed out when they put him on his bed. Tomas closed the door and asked Anna to get him some bandages and hot water. Liam began to cough, blood spraying his pillow…_

"I was sick for three months after that. From being in the cold and the lack of food and water in the stacks to being wiped by my father until I passed out, Tomas didn't think I was going to make it. But somehow I did. That was also the longest I was ever sober. I don't hate my father for what he did; you'd think I would but I don't. He did what he did because that's how things were; if you didn't tow the line you ran the risk of getting hit. I managed to stay sober for five months after that I began to drink again and within a month after that I died." Angel stopped his story and looked at his sons. Connor didn't know what to say.

"Wow. I don't even know what to say to that." Connor replied. Tristan remained silent.

"You don't have to say anything. That was the way things were." Angel looked out the window and saw that night had fallen. They would most likely be arriving within several hours. Angel looked at Tristan and tried to get his attention.

"He sounds like a monster."

"He wasn't. He was a father." Angel replied.

"No father should treat their son like that." Connor said.

"True. But as I said, that is just how things were." Angel replied. Tristan stood and walked towards the long couch that was on the plane. He sat down and looked out the window. Angel didn't push Tristan for any comment, neither did Connor. Connor also stood and sat next to his father. Picking up the book he'd been reading Connor opened it and fell silent.

"I told you it'd be a kill joy." Angel said.

"Nah, it's just a story that will take some time to digest." Connor replied.

"Sorry." Angel replied.

"No, dad. Really. We asked. It's just something hard to hear; that kind of stuff happening to my father. It's hard." Connor replied.

"Okay fine, we don't ask me anymore questions. Let's just get through this flight and find this Symbol so we can get home." Angel said leaning the chair back so he could get some sleep.

"Agreed." Connor and Angel fell silent as they both looked over to Tristan. Angel wanted nothing more than to reach out to his son and find out what he was thinking. Instead, Angel remained silent and closed his eyes. Tristan sitting still on the couch looked out the window. _Well I wanted to know. I am just like my father; my grandfather. I'm a monster. I torture my family; I want to punish them. What's the saying? Like father, like son? Well, at least I know._ Tristan felt sick. Laying his head on the back of the couch Tristan tried to focus on something that good in his life. Unfortunately, there was nothing he felt was good or worth remembering. Maybe this Symbol of Fate could save him from his destructive path. Maybe it could save him from killing his parents….maybe.

**End of Part Three**

**Part Four**

Wolfram & Hart had told Angel that he wasn't allowed to contact Buffy but there were some forms of contact that they couldn't control. While spending the twenty six hours on the plane Angel managed to get some sleep and so did his wife…

_The ocean spread out before him. The sun's warm rays warmed his cool skin. Angel breathed deep and closed his eyes. It was quiet and peaceful; the sound of the waves crashing against the surf; the wind gently blowing Angel's shirt. He opened his eyes and found a goddess before him. He smiled wide and walked quickly towards her. She broke into a run and jumped into his arms kissing him hard on the mouth. The wind blew her hair in his face but the luscious scent of her made his heart race. Angel held her close and never wanted to let her go. She broke off their kiss and pressed her forehead against his. Tears fell down her cheeks as she touched and held his face._

"_Are you alright?" Buffy asked him. Angel smiled and held her tighter._

"_Yes, I'm fine. The boys are fine we're all okay." Buffy kissed him again and smiled against his mouth._

"_I miss you." She said._

"_I miss you." Angel held her as she hugged him. Reluctantly Buffy let him go and he put her down on the soft sand. Buffy took his hand and they began walking towards a blanket that was laid out on the ground. Buffy leaned her head against Angel's shoulder and closed her eyes._

"_Giles and the gang have been working around the clock to find a way to get to you before you give the Symbol to Wolfram & Hart." Buffy said relishing in the presence of her new husband._

"_So he told you everything?" Angel asked._

"_Yeah, he did. At least all that he could, he only knows as much as he told Wolfram & Hart. We still don't know why they want it or for what purpose." They reached the blanket and together they sank into the soft ground and Buffy leaned against his chest. Angel wrapped his arms around her and sighed._

"_Well what I can tell you is that we are on our way to St. Petersburg. From there, I'm not sure. They tell me that someone from the office in St. Petersburg will be meeting us at the airport. We should be landing at night but either way, it shouldn't matter."_

"_Do you know where you are going from there?" Buffy asked._

"_Probably their offices, I'm sure there is a researcher there who will have an idea of where we need to go. Legend has it that the Symbol was in the possession of the Czar and that it was passed down through the generations. During the 1917 Russian Revolution, the Symbol went missing and there have been few rumours of its existence since then. One man claimed that he was a descendent of Nicholas II and that he had possession of the Symbol. By saying that of course, it put him in danger and he was eventually assassinated and it was discovered that he never had the Symbol in his possession at all. So I'm sure the first step is going to be finding someone who might be a descendent of Nicholas II." Angel said._

"_I'll get Giles on it. Maybe he as some connections in Russia who might know who that ancestor is."_

"_Good. Tell Giles that he'll be looking for someone who is most likely a woman."_

"_Why a woman?" Buffy asked._

"_Because the likelihood that a male ancestor survived is rare."_

"_The Anastasia thing?"_

"_Kind of; we still have no idea if Anastasia survived or not." Angel commented._

"_Okay we'll get on it." Buffy said._

"_The only way we are going to be able to talk is like this. They won't let me near a phone." Angel said._

"_It doesn't matter; this is ten times better anyway." Buffy commented. Angel laughed._

"_Yeah, it is." He replied._

"_Angel, the boys really are okay, right?" Buffy asked._

"_Yes they are. Tristan is a little quiet but they are fine. Tell Faith that Connor is alive and well."_

"_She'll be happy to hear that." Buffy said._

"_Buffy, we are going to stop the Queen. We always manage to figure out a way to win."_

"_But what if we don't this time?" Buffy inquired. Angel kissed her head and tightened his grip._

"_Not going to happen."_

"_I love you." Buffy said._

"_I love you." Within moments Angel woke up…_

"Dad, you're drooling." Connor said. Connor was trying to keep a straight face as he said it but he knew that Angel didn't believe him.

"Bullshit. I don't drool." Angel replied. He sat up and looked over towards Tristan. He was still sitting on the couch in the same position he'd been in when Angel had fallen asleep. _I never should have told that story._ Angel thought as he watched his son. Sighing, Angel stretched and looked around. It was still dark but he could see lights below, "Has anyone come out to say if we are there yet?"

"Nope but with all the lights we have to be close." Connor replied.

"You'd think. I'm going to find out." Angel said standing and heading towards the cockpit. He knocked on the door and it opened quickly, "I was wondering how much longer this flight is going to be?"

"We will be landing shortly." With that, the door closed. Angel frowned and shrugged as he turned back to Connor.

"I gather we'll be there shortly."

"Fair enough." Connor replied and sat back for what felt like the millionth time in his chair. Tristan stirred and spoke.

"Tell me another story about our grandfather." He said. Angel looked at him and crossed his eye brows.

"Are you sure? I mean the last one was not exactly that great."

"So tell me a good one." Tristan said turning back to his father. Angel sighed. Why all this talk about his father? What was the interest? Angel thought for a moment about a story that he felt made his father seem less than sinister.

"You can't think of one can you?" Tristan asked. The look in Angel's eyes told him that Tristan was fishing for a reason to his "demonic" nature. Tristan was trying to find a genetic reason as to why he could turn on his family and kill his parents. Angel moved towards him and sat next to him. He put a hand on his sons shoulder and turned him to face him.

"Tristan you are not a monster; neither was your grandfather; neither am I. We are normal; we do normal things. You can't expect to understand yourself with stories from a past that no longer exists. Tristan your grandfather might have done some horrible things to me, but back then they were never considered horrible. They were considered normal. What you did…"

"I killed you both. I turned on my family and killed you both because I couldn't stop her from getting to me. I wasn't strong enough to fight her off. I'm weak…"

"You're weak; everybody is; everybody fails. The trick is to get right back up and try again. Just because you fail doesn't mean you can't fix it. Tristan you have the power to do real good, to make amends."

"I'm scared."

"I know you are, son. Everyone is scared of what they don't know and what they can't see. But as a family we'll get through it together." Connor laughed.

"Where did you get that, out of a hallmark card?" Angel scowled at his son and gave him the finger.

"Your step-mother actually," Angel turned back to Tristan and smiled, "She gave me the same speech when I was ready to give up on my own life. Tristan you can be whatever you want to so long as do the best that you can."

"But what he did to you…"

"Tristan my father had his good points too. He only wanted the best for me and I understand that. I didn't then, but I do now. My father encouraged me to be great and do great things. He was supportive in his own way. I believe he was proud of me, just in his own way."

"How do you know?" Tristan asked.

"The night I ran away from my family and decided to leave because I couldn't take his criticism anymore was the first time I realized that maybe he wasn't as mean as I thought he was…

_Liam packed his bag as quickly as he could. He couldn't stay here anymore. He'd lost so much already; his father hated him, his mother never looked at him without disappointment on her face. His wife was gone, taken from him because he was a drunken idiot who would never amount to anything. He believed his father's words; he really was worthless. Slamming the bag shut, Liam turned to find Anna standing in the doorway. She had tears in her eyes._

"_Please," She begged, "Please don't leave me alone here, not with him." Liam stood in front of her and kissed her forehead._

"_I can't stay here any longer. I don't belong here." She grabbed hold of his sleeve and pulled him back._

"_Please, take me with you!" She cried. Liam pulled his arm away and slapped her._

"_You are our maid. You don't belong with me. No one does." Liam moved away from her as she sank to the ground and sobbed against the wall. Liam stormed through as he heard his father start yelling. Liam tried to ignore him but his voice sounded throughout the small house._

"_Liam!" His father yelled, "Liam, you'll do as I say." His father stood behind him as Liam stood before his sister and mother. Running a finger down his sister's cheek, Liam spoke softly so only she could here._

"_Sweet Kathy, no tears," Slowly he trailed his finger down his sister's soaked cheek as she stared up at him with wide eyes, "We'll meet again." Liam regarded his mother but said nothing._

"_Defy me now you won't." His father said angrily behind him, "As long as I live." Liam turned from his mother and sister to face the man who'd tried to control his life forever. The man who would never be proud of him, ever._

"_You'll want to move away from the door now father." Liam said sternly. All he wanted was to leave. He couldn't stand to be in that place for a second longer. He was done with his father; he'd done all that was asked but it was never good enough for the man._

"_Go through it, but don't ever expect to come back." His father said, anger dripping off every word. There was something in his father's eyes that Liam couldn't place. Something that said more than his words ever could. It was almost as if, he were in pain somehow._

"_As you wish father, always, juts as you wish." Liam replied trying to fight back his own anger and his tears. He'd worshipped this man growing up; he'd wanted nothing more than to be just like him. But his expectations were always so high and Liam couldn't any longer fight to live up to them. There was nothing more that he could do for his father now, so all he wanted was to get away._

"_It's a son I wished for! A man, instead God gave me you, a terrible disappointment." Kieran said to him pointblank. Kieran was desperate; he had to find someway to make his son understand to make his son stay. It wasn't safe for him out there; he was lost and confused. He needed to be with his family but the only way Kieran knew to speak to his son was through anger and rage._

"_Disappointment?" Liam looked confused. He'd done everything, "A more dutiful son you could have ever asked for. My whole life you told me in word, in glance what it is you've required of me and I've lived down to every expectation now haven't I." Liam was so hurt; how after all this and faced with the loss of his son could his father stand there and say he'd never done anything for him? Liam had to fight even harder to keep his tears at bay; despite everything his father had put him through he loved him. All he'd ever wanted was for him to acknowledge that he loved his son; that he was proud of him. But even now, knowing that Liam was about to walk out of his home and never come back did he say anything remotely resembling pride._

"_That's madness." His father responded shaking his head._

"_No, the madness is I couldn't fail enough for you." Liam's anger grew as he looked at his father, " Well, we'll fix that now won't we."_

"_I fear for you lad."His father responded with a quiet yet cautioning tone. Liam felt sick._

"_Is that the only thing you can find in your heart for me now father?" His voice nearly broke but holding it together Liam shifted on his feet. A look crossed his father's features; he knew that Liam was serious, that he was leaving._

"_Who will take you in, hm, no one." Kieran knew that was a lie but he tried it anyway._

"_I'll not lack for a place to sleep I can tell you that, out of my way." Liam moved towards the door and took hold of the handle; his father grabbed his arm and spun him around. Liam stared into the face of his father and searched his eyes one final time. For a moment, pain and sadness flashed in them as Kieran realized that he'd lost his son completely._

"_I was never in your way boy." Kieran responded sounding the most sincere Liam had ever heard him in his life. Liam didn't care; it was too late. He wrenched his arm away and fled storming away from his father and away from the life he hated most in the world. Kieran watched helplessly as his son fled; anger mixed with sadness caught in Kieran's voice as he took hold of the door, " If you go causing trouble you're sure to find it!" Kieran yelled as he slammed the door…_

It was in that moment when he told me, 'I was never in your way,' that I realized that he really hadn't been. I was in my own way. I was so stuck in the way I was living my life that I didn't know how to change it. I was in charge of my life he was just trying to do what was best by me the best way that he knew how. I wish that I'd figured that out sooner but I didn't, not until I had Connor and then you. Parents do what they can for their children, but it is up to the children to create their own destines. Do you understand?" Angel asked his son. Tristan thought for a moment then nodded.

"I do."

"Good. Now, no more of this my genes make me a killer crap. Because if that were true, the whole world would be behind bars." Angel didn't know what else to say to his son. Sitting back Angel heard the familiar ding of the seatbelt light. The captain's voice sounded over the announcement system stating that they would be landing in minutes and that they were to fasten their seatbelts. The plane landed as the atmosphere in the cabin remained silent. The three O'Connor's departed the plane quickly and found a small man holding up a sign that read 'Angel.' Angel walked up to him and nodded.

"You'd think you would know who I was."

"We were not briefed until this morning." The man said with a thick Russian accent. He turned his back and headed towards the exit.

"What about our bags?" Angel asked.

"They will be waiting for you at the offices." The small man didn't break stride but kept on moving. Angel sighed and together they followed him out of the airport and into the cool air.

--

The limo took them to the St. Petersburg Wolfram & Hart office. Angel was told that they would be meeting with the CEO the next morning and that they were to get some sleep. Upstairs, Connor and Tristan headed straight for a bed while Angel looked around and found several files waiting for him in the living room. Since he'd gotten some sleep on the plane, Angel decided to look through what was left for him in the hopes that he might shed some light on what was expected of him next.

--

"I've got it!" Giles' voice rang out amidst the silence. Buffy, Xander, Willow and Faith looked up from their books as Giles' smile grew even larger, "I believe I've found the last known heir of Nicholas II." Buffy closed her book and went up to her mentor and looked over his shoulder.

"Amelia Anna Romanov."

"Who is she?" Xander asked. Giles put his glasses down and addressed the group.

"She is a well known Russian writer and artist. Apparently she has as part of her personal art collection, which is rumoured to be quiet extensive, are some pieces of Nicholas II's court."

"That doesn't prove that she is a descendent. It might just mean she has a lot of money and that she likes fancy things." Xander offered.

"Not these pieces. She has personal portraits and items that belonged to members of the imperial family. Only an ancestor would be able to get their hands on those items."

"It's still a stretch." Faith replied sitting back down.

"Well its all we've got isn't it?" Giles said.

--

Angel flipped through a file with the portrait of a woman who appeared to be in her late seventies. The file read Amelia Anna Romanov; Angel's eyes widened as he read the material in the file. According to Wolfram & Hart researches, Amelia was thought to be the only living ancestor to Nicholas II, aside from the rumours that his daughter Anastasia was alive. Amelia was a well known artist, writer and art collector who lived in the heart of St. Petersburg. The file contained pictures of the specific pieces that Amelia had of Nicholas' family. Flipping through Angel looked at each picture: several small toys and trinkets, a few hand mirrors, a brush, an old book, a diary, a tiara apparently worn by Nicholas' wife Alix of Hesse, and a small music box with a dancing figurine on the top. None of the images showed the Symbol of Fate, but then again no one really knew what the item looked like. Legend says that the Symbol will only appear to the one who deserves it; Russian folklore says that the only way Anastasia survived the attack on the imperial family was because she had the Symbol in her possession giving her the ability to alter her own fate. Angel flipped back to the picture of the woman and studied her features. He'd been to Russia before, while on his way through to China in 1900, he'd never spent much time learning about Russia's history but if Wolfram & Hart believed that this woman had the Symbol or at the very least knew where it was, he had to follow it.

--

"Do you think Angel knows about her?" Buffy asked.

"I'm sure Wolfram & Hart has done their research." Giles commented.

"So what do we do?" Faith asked pacing the room, "Do we have any Slayers in Russia?" Buffy shook her head.

"We never saw the need for it."

"So we have no contacts in that area?" Faith said voicing what everyone was thinking.

"I know one man there. He's an old friend and one of the few watchers to survive the attack from the First Evil. He might be able to help us or at least get in touch with Angel." Giles stood and walked towards the single phone that sat next to Willow's computer.

"Do you think he'll help us?" Buffy asked.

"I'm not sure. He was never a friendly man. When his Slayer died he became even more of a recluse." Giles dialed the number and waited for an answer. The phone picked up and then was dropped ringing in Giles' ear. He heard a man curse and then waited as it was answer.

"This had better be good." A gruff voice came over the other end of the phone.

"I'm sure you'll be interested."

"If it has anything to do with you and your kind, no I'm not." Giles could hear the phone being set down and he yelled.

"Wait! Kristopher! Please, I need your help." Giles held his breath hoping that Kristopher wouldn't hang up the phone. He heard a heavy sigh and then the voice was back.

"Rupert, you know I don't want anything to do with your new council. You already asked me once."

"That is not what this is about."

"What is it about then, you old water dog?" Kristopher asked.

"It's about the Symbol of Fate." There was silence on the other end.

--

Angel picked up the next file and flipped it open. The man staring back at him was Kristopher Milton. He was an ex-watcher who'd survived the attacks from the First Evil. Milton had lived in England most of his life where he helped to train the Slayer from 1980 to her death in 1988. The file stated that Milton treated his Slayer like his dead daughter which concerned the council. When his Slayer was killed by a gang of vampires in 1988, Milton tried to get assigned to the next Slayer and when he was denied he started to go vigilante killing demons and vampires on his own. The council tried to make him see reason but Milton was too far gone. Eventually, they fired him and he left England in pursuit of the vampires who'd killed his Slayer and his daughter years before. His travels took him to St. Petersburg where he finally caught up with the demons and killed most of them, but not before they'd left him with a permanent reminder of who he'd been hunting. Milton had been paralyzed from the waist down; they'd left him for dead instead of killing him in the hopes that he would remember that he was just a watcher, not a Slayer. Milton had survived of course and remained in St. Petersburg ever since. In 2003, he'd been attacked, like most watchers, because of the First Evil. He was lucky he had taken to living with magic guarding his home or he would have been killed. Angel flipped through more of the pages in the file settling on the picture of his Slayer, Cassandra Glass. She was a beautiful young woman who had died too soon. Of course, that was the way with all Slayers. What was interesting about Milton was his obsession with the Symbol of Fate and Nicholas' family. Wolfram & Hart's researched showed that Milton, after the death of his Slayer, had hoped to find it to reverse what had happened to her and to his daughter. He'd become so obsessed with the Symbol that eventually he wanted nothing to do with the human world and everything to do with the world Fate. According to the file, he'd even gone in search of the Three Fates at one point. Before seeing Amelia, Angel would have to have a chat with this Milton even if it meant breaking down his door and sending his sons in after him.

--

"What do you want with the Symbol?" Milton asked.

"Nothing. Wolfram & Hart wants it, you've heard of them I assume." Giles inquired knowing full well that Milton knew who they were. The vampires who'd killed his Slayer had worked for them.

"Sure I know them. The scum bags, set up shop here in St. Petersburg finally, I knew it was only a matter of time." Milton sounded callous.

"Well, they have kidnapped a friend of ours in the hopes that he'll be able to find the Symbol and bring it back to them."

"What would they want with an object like that? They are pretty much in control of the world; they would have no use for it."

"We believe they plan to give it to the Queen of the Beholders. Have you heard of her?" Giles asked.

"Only what I've read in books. She's a myth."

"Oh no, she's very real."

"You always believed in the most obscure things Rupert." Milton commented.

"Kristopher, our friend is my Slayer's husband. We can't get in touch with him to tell him what we've learned, please, I need you to get in touch with him; to find him; to help him in any way that you can. I'm sure Wolfram & Hart knows about you, they'll probably send him to you. Please, you need to help him find the Symbol."

"And what if I don't want to help you?" The pain in Milton's voice was evident.

"You will because it's for the Slayer and you have a weak spot for her."

"Rumour has it there are millions of Slayers now thanks to your Buffy Summers." Milton said sternly. Giles waited. He knew that Milton was breaking down, he knew that he would help.

"Oh, alright. I'll help. But I'm not leaving the comfort of my own home for this man. He has to come to me."

"I'm sure he will."

"Is there a message you want me to give him? If he shows up I mean." Milton asked.

"Tell him we are doing everything we can to locate the Fates." Giles replied.

"Good luck. I've spent a lot of my life searching for those ladies and believe me they are a lot harder to find then you might think."

"I believe that they were attacked by the Queen and one of their sisters is dying. I think the Fates have become human to ensure their safety." Giles said knowing that Milton would be interested.

"Smart girls. Where are they?" He asked curiosity getting the better of him.

"I believe they are in New York City."

"Why there?"

"Because that is where Buffy and Angel were, of course they are now in Ireland but the Fates would have no means of tracking them as humans." Giles said.

"Angel? Angelus you mean? Well you do keep interesting company now don't you Rupert."

"He's a good man now…"

"I know, cursed with a soul…I've read everything on him."

"Well, he'll be the one coming to see you, so be nice to him." Giles said.

"I still can't believe you allowed your Slayer to fall in love with a vampire." Milton said.

"How would you have known anything, you'd already been fired by then."

"I had my ways. If that's all you old man, I'd like to go to bed." The phone disconnected and the dial tone sounded in Giles' ear. Buffy arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"He sounds like a charmer." Buffy said to him. Giles smiled and hung up the phone. Milton may be a grumpy old man but he was the best option Angel had.


End file.
